Elementary Education Commons^™

Examining Motivation And Self-Efficacy In Reading And Writing In Seventh Grade English: An Improvement Science Dissertation In Practice, Jennifer Tuttle

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This Improvement Science study sought to understand and support the motivation and self-efficacy of middle school students for literacy-based tasks using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), Burke Reading Inventory (BRI), and Burke Writing Inventory (BWI) in a pre-and post-format. This study was designed in response to observed course failings and lack of motivation for seventh-grade students in a post-COVID educational situation. The teacher researcher implemented a Plan, Do, Study, Act cycle alongside interested stakeholders to try and support students’ motivation to complete literacy tasks. She also conducted class discussions to clarify and support students’ understandings of motivation and …

Public School Teachers' Experiences With High-Stakes Testing: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Lamorris Nakita Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to examine how public school elementary teachers perceive high-stakes testing situations as it relates to the impact of test anxiety on young children. Bandura’s (1997) social cognitive theory guided this study as it sought to explain the role of human self-belief in cognition, motivation, and behavior. Eleven teachers who are elementary teachers within a North Carolina public school system, have been teaching at least three years, and have administered high-stakes testing over the course of their teaching careers shared their lived experiences of high-stakes testing through their answers to the following: How …

Preservice Elementary Teachers Conceptions And Self-Efficacy For Integrated Stem, Deepika Menon, Deef A. A. Shorman, Derek Cox, Amanda Thomas

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Educational reform efforts have emphasized preparing highly competent and confident preservice teachers to deliver effective K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) instruction. Self-efficacy is a key variable that influences motivation and performance, and therefore it is necessary to support the development of preservice teachers’ integrated STEM teaching self-efficacy. This mixed-methods study investigates how preservice elementary teachers’ integrated STEM teaching self-efficacy is shaped during their participation in a newly redesigned STEM semester consisting of three concurrent methods courses (science and engineering, mathematics, and technology methods courses). The quantitative data sources included the Self-efficacy for Teaching Integrated STEM instrument administered as …

Teacher's Self-Efficacy For Data Driven Decision Making, Bettie Fisher Perry

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The present study used a sequential mixed method design to compare special education and general education elementary teachers’ self-efficacy for data-driven decision making. Participants were 127 teachers from several school divisions in a mid-Atlantic state in the United States. Dunn et al.’s (2013a) The Data-Driven Decision Making Efficacy and Anxiety Inventory (3D-MEA) was used for this study along with Tschannen-Moran and Hoy’s (2001) The Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), specifically the subscale on the efficacy of instructional strategies. According to the quantitative findings, there was a statistically significant difference between special education and general education teachers’ efficacy for …

The Impacts Of Self-Efficacy And Intrinsic Motivation: Mentoring Students To Be Motivated Readers, Vicki L. Luther

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

Motivation is a vital element of reading success. However, motivation does not always occur organically; it often takes strategic mentoring for students to be inspired by the prospects of reading. Such mentoring can occur when students can begin to see teachers as fellow readers, and when educators can help students to develop their own, independent goals, passions, and reasons for reading. Based upon Bandura’s social cognitive theory (1997), this article focuses on what research says about the importance of reading motivation and self-efficacy. In addition, the author will give strategies to support student-and teacher-motivation.

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 …

The Impact Of Noncognitive Skills On Student Achievement In Elementary-Age Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Karen Garmon

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has created one of the largest disruptions in educational history. The impact on learning loss and social-emotional well-being from the pandemic threatens to compromise achievement outcomes for an extended number of years. Previous research has proven relationships between grit, growth mindset, self-efficacy, and academic achievement (Duckworth, 2016; Duckworth et al., 2007; Dweck, 2008), but little is known about the validity of noncognitive constructs and academic achievement in elementary-age students, particularly how the relationship between these variables affected student achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to determine if noncognitive traits had a relationship …

Elementary Preservice Teachers Self-Efficacy And Confidence Teaching Engineering, Andrea Perrin

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

Engineering has become a popular topic within science standards in recent years. However, many teachers do not have experience teaching or doing engineering. With the possibility of engineering becoming a major part of the science curriculum, it is important that teachers are prepared and well equipped to teach and instruct engineering activities, lessons, and support. This quantitative study studied elementary preservice teachers’ self-efficacy and confidence with teaching engineering in the classroom after experiencing and teaching engineering activities. Overall, the implementation of the engineering activities had both positive and negative impacts on preservice teachers’ perceptions of themselves and teaching engineering in …

An Investigation Of Mathematics Self-Efficacy, The Sources Of Mathematics Self-Efficacy, And Mathematics Achievement Among Primary School Students In Trinidad And Tobago, Ronald Sinanan

Dissertations

Purpose of the Study

This dissertation addressed two problems in the literature. Firstly, while many study findings have highlighted the critical role of self-efficacy in students' achievement, additional research was needed about the four hypothesized sources that influence the improvement of students' mathematics self-efficacy. Many studies on self-efficacy sources were conducted with measures not closely tied to social cognitive theory and have not demonstrated sufficient reliability. Using the Sources of Mathematics SelfEfficacy Scale, Usher and Pajares (2009) addressed this problem. They suggested several recommendations for future research (Usher & Pajares, 2008b, 2009), including exploring the validity of their scale in …

The Impact Of A Year-Long Professional Development On Teacher Self-Efficacy In Personal Writing And The Teaching Of Writing, Guang-Lea Lee, Terri Brodeur, Cherng-Jyh Yen, Tian Luo, Pauline Salim Muljana

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Long-term professional development (PD) initiatives are scant in the extant literature. This study examines the impact of a year-long, face-to-face teacher PD provided for teachers from a high-need elementary school to improve their personal writing and writing instruction. A mixed-methods approach was used to collect and analyze data primarily from pre- and post-surveys and interviews. Statistical analyses suggest that teachers’ self-efficacy toward writing instruction was improved, but not self-efficacy toward their personal writing. Various means of how the year-long teacher PD influenced their self-efficacy were demonstrated through qualitative analysis. Implications of conducting teacher PD on writing instruction were discussed.

Elementary School Staff Perceptions Of Alice Active Shooter Training, Jennifer Tavine Craig

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This exploratory descriptive research study examined elementary school staff perceptions of ALICE active shooter response training and how participating in the training impacted staff perceptions of their own preparedness and their perceptions of their school’s level of safety. This study also examined elementary staff experiences of ALICE training. Participants answered a pre-survey, engaged in a half-day, scenario-based ALICE training, and then answered a post-survey. Results showed that participating in ALICE training had an overall positive impact on elementary staff perceptions of preparedness, confidence, and empowerment in regards to responding to an active shooter incident at their school. Elementary staff expressed …

Using Avatars To Address Teacher Self-Efficacy, Chancey Bosch, Trevor Ellis

Journal of Global Education and Research

Technology-enhanced learning continues to provide opportunities for increased interventions in educational programing. For teacher education programs, novelty pales in comparison to providing meaningful instruction and enduring outcomes. The use of avatars has provided integration of research evidence that increases intended behaviors; however, research is lacking on teacher self-efficacy change via an avatar experience. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between teacher self-efficacy and avatar use in a teacher education program. A relational study using both parametric and non-parametric designs for four different samples indicated a significant relationship between avatar intervention and teacher self-efficacy in classroom management, …

Traditional And Alternative Certification Programs And Their Effect On Elementary School Teachers’ Efficacy Beliefs In Title I And Non-Title I Schools, Rita Gale Sullivan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School districts across the United States face the challenges of teacher shortages and rely heavily on alternative certification programs to fill teaching positions. Over the last decade, researchers question the quality of fast-track teacher preparation programs compared to traditional educational paths. This quantitative, causal-comparative study examined two methods of obtaining teacher certification (traditional and alternative) and their impact on novice teacher self-efficacy levels in Title I and non-Title I schools. Elementary teachers with five years or less of experience, traditionally and alternatively certified, were asked 24 questions using the Likert-type Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale on student engagement, instructional practices, …

Analysis Of Elementary School English Teachers’ Perceptions Of And Design For Differentiated Reading Instruction, Chin-Wen Chien

Journal of English Learner Education

This study explored the influence of a course in an endorsement program on 22 elementary school Taiwanese English teachers’ perceptions of and designs for differentiated reading instruction. Based on the data analysis of the questionnaire, peer- and self-evaluation, and final projects, this study has two major findings. First, participants gained competence in research-based instructional strategies and approaches for differentiated reading instruction through the endorsement program. Tiered assignments were the most popular activities designed by the participants for differentiated reading instruction. Secondly, their self-efficacy gained in terms of improving their learners’ reading performance and solving their reading problems. This study suggested …

An Investigation Of The Effects Of Self-Efficacy On Stem Implementation, Caroline Buechel

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

In order to equip students with the 21^st Century skills necessary for today’s society, STEM education must be properly implemented in school curricula (Lamb, Akmal, & Petrie, 2015). To do so, it is important for teachers to possess both proficient knowledge of the subject matter and confidence towards the implementation of STEM. A person’s beliefs about their ability is known as their self-efficacy (Bandura 1997). Related to education, Bandura notes that this self-efficacy affects a teacher’s views on their ability to handle tasks, obligations, and challenges related to a challenge (1997). Additionally, numerous studies indicate that this self-efficacy in …

Feedback As A Connector In Remote Learning Environments, Heather Rottermond, Laura Gabrion

Michigan Reading Journal

In March, Michigan educators unexpectedly found themselves rethinking instruction. As schools throughout the state were shuttered due to the COVID-19 health crisis, educators at every level needed to consider ways to sustain relationships with students in an effort to move learning forward. Feedback has always served as a natural connector between teachers and their students, but students’ use of feedback is based upon trust. This article examines the importance of formative assessment and the feedback cycle while exploring ways to deliver feedback in remote settings. By prioritizing the student-teacher relationship, teachers foster students’ active engagement with feedback, thereby raising students’ …

Elementary Educators' Self-Efficacy, Curiosity, Learning Attainment, Experience, And The Number Of Neuromythic Beliefs: A Correlational Study, Angela Ranae Posey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The advancements in brain research have led to misconceptions in education. These misconceptions, known as neuromyths, can have impacts on the education system. The problem is educators could potentially waste resources on instructional practices or professional development due to neuroscience misconceptions. The purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to determine if there was a relationship between elementary educators’ self-efficacy, curiosity, learning attainment, experience, and the number of neuromythic beliefs. The sample population (N = 67), collected through a convenience sample, included rural in-service elementary educators from one school district in Missouri. Participants took an online questionnaire that included the …

Minority Students: A Quantitative Study Of Self-Efficacy And The Relationship To Fourth Grade Reading Achievement, Tanicia Marie Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

Education reform continues at a rapid pace in American schools, yet many minority students continue to struggle with reading achievement. This quantitative study examines the relationship between self-efficacy and fourth grade reading achievement. The theoretical framework for this study uses Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and Jerome Bruner’s Constructivist Theory. This research study asked three questions. First, what is the relationship between self-efficacy and student reading achievement? Second, is there a significant relationship between self-concept and socioeconomic status on student reading achievement? Third, is there a significant relationship between self-efficacy on student achievement for any of the independent variables of …

Incorporating Critical Thinking: Self-Perception Of Teachers’ Ability To Promote Critical Thinking Skills In Primary Grades (K-2), Courtney Milligan

Dissertations

The ability to think critically is a fundamental life skill and is an essential part of being a productive and contributing member of society. “Research shows that elements of critical thinking need to be taught explicitly” (Haber, 2020). The practice of developing critical thinking skills while students are initially "developing as thinkers" in primary grades is essential. According to Wagner (2008), his research finds that children should begin developing critical thinking skills as soon as they “are capable of abstract thinking” (p.17). Wagner (2008) argues that students need to develop these essential skills to effectively participate in our democracy and …

Exploring 3-5 Grade Teachers' Self-Efficacy With Inquiry-Based Science Instruction, Sarah Laden

Undergraduate Research Journal

From an early age, teachers should expose students to high-quality STEM education to allow them to explore and discover phenomena. In order to prepare students, teachers must be able to assist students and facilitate the inquiry process. Unfortunately, elementary teachers often have low self-efficacy regarding inquiry-based science and resort to instruction that is not supported by research. A survey was given to third through fifth grade teachers at a small, suburban, mid-western school district to measure their self-efficacy regarding inquiry-based science. The teachers responded to questions that asked them to rank themselves on several skills that are required to teach …

Novice Elementary Teachers’ Self-Efficacy For Teaching Science: A Phenomenological Study, Graquetta Banks Harris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand perceptions of self-efficacy in science pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for novice elementary school teachers at various elementary schools in central Georgia. Novice elementary school teachers were those traditionally prepared, and self-efficacy was the confidence in science PCK for elementary school teachers. The two theories guiding this study included Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and Shulman’s theory of PCK, as they supported the process of self-efficacy and PCK of novice elementary school teachers. The participants included 15–20 elementary school teachers who completed a traditional teacher preparation program and had fewer than 5 years …

Developing Strategic Learners: Supporting Self-Efficacy Through Goal Setting And Reflection, Zoi A. Traga Philippakos

The Language and Literacy Spectrum

When students face academic challenges, when they receive poor grades on a subject, and when they see unchanged performance -even though they put effort on a task- they often develop the belief that they are not capable of overcoming challenges. Continuous underperformance affects students’ self-efficacy and belief that success is an achievable goal. The purpose of this paper is to explain the process of goal setting with continuous reflection to support students’ writing growth and persistence. The paper further comments on teachers’ goal setting for instructional and professional goals in order to support their instructional delivery and their growth as …

Self-Efficacy Score Differences Between Supported, Unsupported, Departmentalized And Non-Departmentalized Classical Christian Elementary Mathematics Teachers, Cristina Marie Dube

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Classical Christian schools have increased exponentially over the past 20 years. The main mission of a classical Christian education is to produce a student who is better equipped to think and apply the Christian worldview to every situation. Classical schools are based on the Greek Trivium which focuses on the tools of learning: grammar school, logic school, and rhetoric school. Classical tenets include integration of content, memorization of basic facts, and reliance on the Socratic Method. Utilizing the Socratic Method requires teachers to be confident in their understanding of mathematics. Because of the lower mathematics self-efficacy of elementary school teachers, …

Professional Growth: How Do Cooperating Teachers Grow Through The Experience Of Having A Student Teacher?, Ashton D. Coppley

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Cooperating teachers and student teachers share a unique internship that allows the development of skills for both individuals. The literature states that cooperating teachers can grow from student teachers; however, there are a few sources that state the areas in which this growth occurs. The purpose of this study was to determine if growth or impact happened in the areas of instructional practices, coaching skills, and self-efficacy during the student teaching process. This mixed methods study included a survey, focus group interview, and single interviews to determine whether any change was made. The survey created descriptive statistics, a Pearson correlation …

Elementary School Teacher Characteristics Associated With Self-Efficacy For Using Technology To Implement Constructivist Content Instruction: An Explanatory Correlational Study, Patricia Barton

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Technology mediated constructivist practices may be effective, but there are challenges for implementing them, and one challenge is the teachers themselves and their self-efficacy. Teachers of different backgrounds may differ on self-efficacy in technology mediated constructivist practices, and those possible differences can warrant different training approaches. For this study, 212 K-5 teachers from small to medium sized rural and suburban school districts in the Midwestern US, as well as teachers from a variety of other geographic areas, completed an online survey. The dependent variable self-efficacy in Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (SE-C-TPACK) was regressed on the independent variables. The independent …

Observations Of A Multi-Component Intervention For Elementary Students With Emotional Behavioral Disorder After Self-Efficacy Coaching, Anna Kristen Bensinger

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) experience more negative student outcomes compared to other special education disability categories, specifically, higher dropout rates, less access to higher education and incarceration. Mathematically, 73% of students with EBD achieve below the 50th percentile on standardized tests (Wagner, Kutash, Duchnowski, Epstein, & Sumi, 2005). This study focused on the exploration of a multi-component mathematics and behavior intervention targeting student self-efficacy for productive learning behaviors in the general education mathematics classroom setting for elementary students with EBD. Participants for this study were students from two 4th grade classrooms, who have been identified with co-occurring …

Understanding Second Grader’S Computational Thinking Skills In Robotics Through Their Individual Traits, Youngkyun Baek, Dazhi Yang, Yibo Fan

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study investigated the relationship between the personal traits and computational thinking skills of second graders within the context of robotics activities. The hypothesized model showed that learning preference, intrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy were the main predictors of coding achievement and computational thinking skills, while no direct relationship was found between learning preference, intrinsic, or extrinsic motivation. The final path analysis revealed that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation predict self-efficacy, self-efficacy predicts coding achievement, and coding achievement predicts computational thinking skills. Another important finding was the strong impact of self-efficacy on coding achievement as well as computational thinking skills. Results are …

A Phenomenological Examination Of Teaching "Bubble Students" From The Perspective Of Rural General Education Teachers In South-Central Virginia, Wanda Price Carter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe 10 rural third- through fifth-grade general education teachers’ experiences with teaching “bubble students” in south-central Virginia. Bubble students were defined as those students who were projected to come close to achieving test cut scores. The theories guiding this study were Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy and the self-determination theory as they provided an understanding of how attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs could impact the self-efficacy and experiences of teachers. The following research questions framed the study: How do rural third- through fifth-grade general education teachers in Virginia describe their experiences with teaching bubble …

We Would If We Could: Examining Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy In A Middle School Mathematics Methods Course, Jamaal R. Young, Jemimah L. Young, Brandon L. Fox, Earl R. Levingston Jr., Alana Tholen

Faculty Publications

Despite mounting evidence of the pedagogical importance of culturally responsive teaching, many teachers do not implement culturally responsive practices in their classrooms. The purpose of this study was to investigate pre-service mathematics teachers’ culturally responsive teaching and outcome expectancy in order to inform teacher preparation in mathematics methods courses. Participants completed the Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-efficacy Scale (CRTSE) and the Culturally Response Teaching Outcome Expectancy (CRTOE) Scale. Results suggest that middle school mathematics teachers were only moderately efficacious in their ability to implement culturally responsive teaching practices, despite strong beliefs in the instructional utility of culturally responsive teaching practices.

Using Focus Groups To Explore Sources Of Self-Efficacy In Puerto Rican Preservice Teachers, Yitza A. Arcelay-Rojas

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

This article used focus groups to explore Puerto Rican preservice teachers' perceptions of sources of self-efficacy. The present study allowed, through a qualitative design, examination of the experiences of preservice teachers at the end of their student teaching practicum. The qualitative design and the use of the focus group technique provided insight into the main sources of their perceived self-efficacy through the self-assessment of their field experience. The beginning of the student teaching practicum provoked an intense process of emotions in which the preservice teachers needed support and guidance, particularly in aspects of planning, differentiation, and classroom management. The participants …