Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

A Study Of The Effectiveness Of Peer Tutoring On Mathematics Achievement Of Fifth Grade Students, Kareem J. Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of a peer tutoring program in mathematics on the academic achievement level of fifth grade students. It was hypothesized that there would be a significant difference in the mathematics achievement level of fifth grade students who participated in a peer tutoring program than in the mathematics achievement level of fifth grade students who do not participate in a peer tutoring program in mathematics.

The study was a quasi-experimental design consisting of students in two fifth grade classrooms. Twenty-three students from each classroom participated in the study. One …

A Correlation Study Of Learning Preferences And Attitudes Towards Computers In Fourth Grade Students, Laura C. Garofalo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if specific learning style preferences were related to fourth grade elementary students' attitudes towards computers in the classroom. Subjects were twenty-six students in a fourth grade class in an affluent suburban district. Subjects were given two self-report instruments to measure their learning style preferences and attitudes towards computers. The Learning Combination Inventory (LCI), developed by Dr. Christine Johnston of Rowan University, was used to determine learning style preferences. The Technology Attitude Assessment Survey (TAAS), developed for the University of the State of New York, measured attitudes towards computer usage in the classroom. …

The Effect Of Cooperative Learning On The Spelling Achievement Of Fourth Grade Students, Elisabeth Henjes

Theses and Dissertations

This research was designed to study the effect of cooperative learning instructional strategies as compared to traditional spelling instruction on fourth grade achievement in spelling. Comparisons were made between the spelling achievement of thirteen fourth grade students when they were taught by cooperative learning strategies and the spelling achievement of these same fourth grade students when they were taught by traditional spelling instructional methods. The cooperative learning instructional methods used were a combination of Classwide Peer Tutoring and Student Teams-Achievement Division (STAD). To control for certain variables a second treatment of traditional spelling instructional methods was implemented after the cooperative …

The Effects Of Range Of Notes, Gender, And Songs With Text Or Without Text On The Vocal Accuracy Of First, Second And Third Grade Students, Nancy J. Hanna

Theses and Dissertations

There are four problems that address the effects of range of notes, gender, and songs with text or without text on the vocal accuracy of first, second and third grade students.

Thirty students each from grades one, two and three were recorded singing four songs in solo. Each student sang a song with a restricted range of notes with text and then on the neutral syllable "loo." Each student then sang a song with a wide range of notes with text and then on the neutral syllable "loo." The recordings of the students singing were then evaluated for accuracy of …

Changing Destinies: An Overview Of The Human Genome Project, Jennifer Lynne Watson

Theses and Dissertations

The Human Genome Project was initiated in 1988. Its purpose being to sequence the entire human genome, including the noncoding regions by 2005. Through the research conducted, due to the project, several genes associated with specific diseases have been identified. This paper is a review of the Human Genome Project and genes that have been associated with the onset of specific diseases. Cystic Fibrosis, a disease affecting the respiratory system, has been isolated to a gene on chromosome 7. Alzheimer's Disease, the disease which is most responsible for dementia, has several genes associated with its onset. These genes lie on …

The Relationship Between Learning Process And Students Who Play A Band Instrument, Tinamarie C. Stanfa

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the learning processes of students who play a band instrument. The problem was to see if all band students process learning in the same manner.

Prior to the study, the researcher sent a letter to the building Principal and Board Of Education to get permission to conduct the research. Next, the researcher sent a permission slip-letter home to all band parents explaining the purpose of the study and what the results of the study would be, if they chose to know.

Once all the responses were received, the researcher administered the Learning …

The Effect Of Parental Monitored Practice On The Musical Achievement Of Sixth Grade Instrumental Music Students, Deborah A. Baldasarre

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of parental involvement on the musical achievement of middle school band students. The problem of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a parental monitored practice program on sixth grade instrumental band students' music achievement.

All sixth grade band students were given a letter the first day of school which explained the investigation and asked the parents if they would be part of the study. The parents' participation involved attending an informational meeting, monitoring their students' practice, and commenting where appropriate. Students recorded their weekly practice, obtained their parents' …

Gender Differences In Primary Grade Level Students In Tests Of Visual And Auditory Memory, Kathleen P. Leland

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to discover if gender is a significant factor when determining the auditory and visual memory skills of primary grade level students. The study also sought to determine if boys or girls are more able to recall visual or auditory stimuli. Based on the literature related to the subject of gender and memory, differences between males and females vary depending on the tasks performed.

The subjects were taken from first, second and third grade students attending a suburban elementary school in New Jersey. Fifty-two boys and fifty-three girls were subjected to a story on an …

The Effects Of Literature Circles On The Reading Attitudes Of Fourth Grade Students, Kellyann Roche

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect that literature circles had on the reading attitudes of fourth grade students. This study used a pretest-posttest control group design to look at the reading attitudes of fourth grade students before and after the implementation of literature circles. These literature circles were composed of heterogeneous ability groups which were used in addition to the regular reading program.

Both groups were given the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) prior to the induction of literature circles. The experimental group (n = 17) was engaged in literature circles for approximately ten weeks while …

A Study Of Gender And Subject Area On Student Test Score Prediction, Slade Spencer

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of student self assessment in this study was to give the instructor feedback – first hand knowledge of the level of understanding/comprehension the students have of the concepts in a given subject area. The purpose for test score predictions was to enable the classroom teacher to teach the areas of subject matter that were needed, not teach what has already been mastered as a skill.

Previous research has shown mixed results in the area of whether gender or subject area affects test score prediction. This provided support for the dual null hypotheses. There is not a significant relationship …

A Study Of Multi-Sensory Instruction On Fourth Grade Students' Reading Achievement, Kristine Carter

Theses and Dissertations

Research has supported that by accommodating teaching methods to complement student learning styles, academic achievement and attitudes improve. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of multi-learning style based instruction, specifically perceptual preferences, on the reading achievement of fourth grade students. Forty-seven students in two intact classrooms from one elementary school participated in the pretest/posttest control group design. A pretest was given to both groups to ensure initial group equivalence. An experimental group then received multi-perceptual instruction for a period of two weeks while a control group was taught by traditional instruction. Following the instruction period, a …

Effect Of Hands-On Instruction On The Science Achievement Of Second Grade Students, Wendy Nardi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of hands-on methods of science instruction on low-level second grade students from a low-income community. Hands-on instruction actively engages students in exploratory activities using cognitive, manipulative and operational skills. According to a nonequivalent control group design, the nonstratified sample of 39 students was pretested and presented with either hands-on science instruction or more traditional strategies. Following posttest administration, a t test for nonindependent samples indicated a significant difference between the pretest and the posttest scores of both groups. However, a t test for independent samples revealed no significant difference between …

A Study Of Jazz Band Participation By Gender In Secondary High School Instrumental Music Programs, Douglas Penn Barber

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a gender inequity exists in student participation in high school jazz band.

The sample for this study consisted of students involved in the instrumental programs of high schools in South Jersey. A survey was generated by the researcher to collect data on participation. Sixty-eight surveys were mailed and forty-three were returned.

Data were converted to percentages and compared by instrument for participation in the overall program and the jazz program.

On the basis of these data there is a gender inequity in the participation of jazz band. The difference is a …

The Association Between Music Intelligence And Learning Process Style, Mary Jane Wishart-Morey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to begin to understand brain function and musicality. The problem of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between learning process style and musical intelligence.

Subjects who were in grade three were administered the Intermediate Measures of Musical Audiation test (IMMA). This test was used to identify musically talented children. Subjects took the test by listening to a tonal cassette and rhythm cassette. The subjects decided whether pairs of tonal or rhythm pattern they heard sounded the same or different. These tests required no reading skills. Students put circles around the …

The Effects Of Harmonic Accompaniment On The Music Achievement, Aptitude, And Musical Effectiveness Of First Grade Children, Ruth Pelphrey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine how harmonic accompaniments affect first grade children. The specific problems of the study were to understand how harmonic accompaniments affect children in their 1) tonal development, 2) use of their voice, and 3) interest in singing. Furthermore, a fourth problem was to determine the relationships among interest in singing, use of singing voice, and tonal development.

One hundred and six first grade students in five classes were randomly selected to participate in this study. There were three treatment groups; one received song instruction with the accompaniment of piano/guitar, the second used CD …

The Relationships Among First Grade Students' Tonal Aptitude, Singing Vocal Development, And Developmental Age, Florence Tavani

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a correlation between developmental age and scores achieved on music ability tests.

The problem of this study was to determine the relationships among the Primary Measure of Music Audiation and the Singing Voice Development Measure and the Gesell School Readiness Test.

Sixty-three students in grade one of the Indian Mills Elementary school took part in this study. All of these students had been tested with the Gesell School Readiness Test prior to entering first grade. This test consisted of eight subtests requiring such tasks as cube stacking, verbal …

Reading Attitude And Academic Achievement In Third, Fourth, And Fifth Grade Children, Denise L. Moretz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation existed between reading attitudes and academic achievement of elementary school children in grades three, four, and five. Also, the researcher wanted to determine if variables such as gender or time in school affected the relationship between reading attitude and academic achievement.

The subjects consisted of seventy students from three intact classrooms. This study took place in a middle class suburban elementary school in southern New Jersey. Twenty-seven students were from third grade, twenty-one students were from fourth grade, and twenty-two students were from fifth grade, Thirty-eight females and thirty-two …

The Effect Of Gender And Birth Order On Reading And Mathematics Achievement Among Third Grade Students, Laurie D. Rosenberg-Asch

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine that there was no significant correlation between the effect of gender and birth order on reading and mathematics achievement among third grade students.

The sample in this study consisted of students in a third grade class, in a public elementary school in a suburban school district in southern New Jersey. The sample was comprised of forty randomly selected students from two third grade classes in the school. Twenty students were female, and twenty students were male.

Interim report cards were used as the instrument to determine achievement in reading and mathematics. The …

Self-Concept In Gifted Children: A Developmental And Comparative Study, Sherri L. Evangelista

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the various dimensions of self-concept in gifted children, to compare self-concept in gifted and nongifted children, and to attempt to discover a relationship between self-concept and achievement in gifted children. The 25 subjects who participated in this study were a sample of gifted students taken from a population of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students enrolled in a public elementary school in a suburban area in southern New Jersey. The Self-Perception Profile for Children (Harter, 1985) was used to assess self-concept. Mean self-concept scores and standard deviations were calculated for each subscale. …

Effects Of Choice Restriction On The Intrinsic Motivation To Produce Creative Products, Karen M. Suloff

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess whether choice restriction decreased intrinsic motivation for a task resulting in a less creative product. The study focused on two kindergarten classes in a half day school setting. The students were to make collages. The students were either given choice or no choice of materials when making their collage. The morning class was given choice of materials. They were allowed to freely choose what they wanted from the boxes of materials. The afternoon class was given no choice of materials. They were given materials chosen by the experimenter. Two weeks later the …

The Effects Of Social And Tangible Reinforcement On Vocabulary Acquisition In Whole Language, Carolyn M. Brida

Theses and Dissertations

In this study the effects of social and tangible reinforcement in whole language was measured. The purpose was to determine if there were any significant effects of the various treatment conditions on vocabulary acquisition.

Social reinforcement and tangible reinforcement are used to motivate students to perform (Neihoff & Mesch, 1991) and achieve (Hitz & Driscoll, 1989). The academic performance and achievement of students in the area of vocabulary acquisition is an important part of the academic process. Vocabulary remains a key focus in education (Nagy, 1988). Whole language programs include vocabulary acquisition (Blachowicz & Fisher, 1996).

The sample for this …

Vocabulary Acquisition Of Target Words By Second Grade Students Through Storybook Read-Aloud Sessions, Joann Ulbrich

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of three conditions of vocabulary presentation were examined to determine which method is optimal for vocabulary acquisition of the meanings of unfamiliar words in elementary school students. The design of this study was similar to that used by A. Brett, L. Rothlein, and M. Hurley (1996). Three intact classes of second grade students, N = 59, in a suburban area in Southern New Jersey were randomly assigned to a control group, a group where students received no explanations of target words when they were read a storybook aloud, or a group where students received brief explanations of target …

The Effect Of Coeducational And Same-Sex Cooperative Learning Groups On Achievement, Michelle L. Rodier

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of coeducational and same sex cooperative learning groups on the achievement of first grade students. It is hypothesized that the academic performance of students in all subject areas while participating in a "same-sex cooperative learning group" will exceed their performance in the "coeducational learning group." The subjects of this study were twenty-two first grade students from a southern New Jersey community. This study was divided into two experimental cycles – cycle A and cycle B. Cycle A included three weeks of coeducational cooperative learning groups and cycle B included three …

The Relationship Of Attendance (Absenteeism) To Achievement And To Single-Parent And Two-Parent Home Status, Kristi H. Weikel

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a significant correlation between student attendance and overall achievement level. This study also investigated if there was a significant difference in the absentee rate of students from single-parent homes versus students from two-parent homes.

The sample in this study consisted of one hundred and thirty-five fourth grade students from an elementary school in southern New Jersey. This was the entire fourth grade population for this district. The school was located in a suburban area.

The report cards were used to determine the grade point averages for the students. Their …

A Parent And Student Handbook For The Howard M. Phifer Middle School, Valerie Anne O'Brien

Theses and Dissertations

This study was undertaken to determine if there was any significant difference in the expressed needs of the parents and students of the Howard M. Phifer Middle School and the expressed information in various districts' middle school handbooks.

The sample in this study was one hundred and thirty-five randomly selected sixth graders in the Howard M. Phifer Middle School, Pennsauken, New Jersey and their parents.

The sixth grade students and their parents responded to a twenty-five question needs assessment. A comparison of other districts' middle school handbooks was also used to compile information for a middle school handbook for Howard …

A Comparison Of Multiage Education And Graded Education In The Areas Of Academics, Social Skills And Attitudes Of Participants, Cheryl L. Buff

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared the effects of multiage education and graded education on academic performance, social skills development and parent, student and teacher attitudes toward school.

The 34 multiage students and the 27 graded students were assessed through curriculum based tests and informal reading inventories. Statistical analyses were completed A significant difference was found.

Both groups of students completed a social skills development survey. Cafeteria/playground aides were surveyed and discipline referrals were examined to find the percentage of students in each group who received a detention for a discipline violation. Data was collected, and statistically analyzed. No significant difference was found. …

A Study On The Differences Of Teaching Mathematics And Science Separately And Integrated, Dori Rodgers

Theses and Dissertations

This study determined if teaching science and mathematics with an integrated approach would increase students' achievement. It also determined whether males or females achieved higher in science and mathematics when taught with the integrated approach. as compared to teaching the two disciplines separately. It determined whether the attitudes of the fourth grade students improved when mathematics and science were taught with an integrated approach.

The group participating in this study consisted of one fourth grade class. The total population of the study was sixteen fourth grade, heterogeneously grouped students. The class consisted of twelve female and four male students.

For …

A Preliminary Study Of New Jersey's Charter Schools, Carol Sowney Datz

Theses and Dissertations

Charter schools have recently become an innovative method of educating a portion of today's students. A charter school is a deregulated public school that is performance-based. It operates under a charter (contract) between people who want to start a school and an official body authorized to grant a charter.

On January 11, 1996, New Jersey Governor Christine T. Whitman signed into law The Charter School Program Act of 1995. This act enabled the beginning of New Jersey charter schools. This study investigates the paths New Jersey's eighteen approved charter schools are taking. Becoming familiar with the Charter School Program Act …

An Investigation Of The Technology-Related Courses And Experiences In Five University Undergraduate Teacher Education Programs, Julie R. Mandes

Theses and Dissertations

One of the most relevant issues facing schools today is the incorporation of technology into classroom instruction. The literature reveals that knowledge is the most critical factor which determines the degree to which teachers integrate technology into their instruction. Teachers with high levels of anxiety are less likely to integrate technology into their curricula. Elementary school teachers are not generally comfortable and skilled in the use of instructional technology and are therefore unable to exploit its potential. It was the purpose of this study to define whether or not there is a need for undergraduate teacher education programs to further …

Accelerated Reader: A Study Of The Effects On Reading Comprehension And Attitudes In The Fifth Grade, Christine Welk Clegg

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if fifth graders, using the Accelerated Reader, a computer-based reading motivation and management program, will demonstrate an increase in reading comprehension scores as tested by their performance in a pre and posttest using the reading comprehension portion of the Metropolitan Achievement Tests. This study will also measure any increase in favorable reading attitudes as measured by a pre and posttest using the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey by McKenna and Kear.

Two classes were selected from the fifth grade at D'Ippolito Intermediate School in Vineland, New Jersey to participate in this study. Both …