Elementary Education and Teaching Commons^™

A Qualitative Look At Relationships From A Teacher’S Perspective, Shayna Vastila

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study examines the role of teacher-student relationships grounded in the Social Learning Theory, Social Support Theory, as well as the Attachment Theory. The research explored how teachers perceive, establish, and maintain supportive relationships with their students, and how these relationships contribute to student engagement and academic motivation. Fifteen first-grade teachers from elementary schools participated in semi-structured interviews, sharing personal insights and practices around relationship building. Using key factors that foster positive relationships, including empathy, active listening, individualized support, and culturally responsive communication. Findings also highlight systemic barriers such as large class sizes, behavioral challenges, and the emotional …

Fostering Intrinsic Motivation In A Kindergarten Classroom Setting, Cally R. Cook

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Motivation plays a critical role in the development of young children. This action research study had two purposes: to understand the role of intrinsic motivation in a kindergarten classroom, as well as to gather student and teacher perceptions of motivation strategies already being implemented. To guide the research, the researcher formulated two questions: 1) What is the role of intrinsic motivation in learning in a kindergarten classroom setting? 2) What are teacher and student perceptions of strategies designed to foster intrinsic motivation in the classroom? Qualitative data was gathered through survey responses, student and teacher transcribed interviews, and observation notes. …

Understanding Self-Efficacy And Motivation In Elementary Teachers: The Influence And Support Of School Administrators, Maria Vigil

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Teachers’ attrition is commonly seen within the first five years in the profession. Various reasons exist as the cause for this decision including: low pay rates, lack of support and stress. With the important role educators hold, a clear understanding of their specific needs can help strengthen their abilities while remaining in the field. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to understand teachers’ perspectives of what influences their self-efficacy and motivation in order to promote strong work performance, effectiveness, increase teacher satisfaction and retention rates while highlighting the impact of support provided by school administrators. The research questions …

Exploring Students’ Motivation In Mother Tongue Language Through Experiential Learning: A Systematic Review, Betsy Ng, Kimberly Hannah Siacor, Nur Shafizah Binte Johan

Journal of Research Initiatives

There has been a decrease in the motivation levels of primary school students towards learning their native language. In Singapore, the native language is also known as the Mother Tongue Language (MTL). There is also a need for more research on Experiential Learning in primary schools worldwide and MTL classrooms in Singapore. Using the basic psychological needs of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), namely autonomy, competence, and relatedness, this research explores the potential of experiential learning as an effective pedagogical tool to foster motivation and learning. Using specific study selection and systematic review methods, 11 empirical papers were selected to study the …

Teaching Writing With The Digital Feedback Protocol: A Peer-To-Peer Intervention To Increase Elementary Student Writing Motivation, Karyn Keenan

Dissertations

Writing is a complex task, especially for elementary school writers; motivation in writing leads to greater writing performance and writing quality. Teachers enter their careers underprepared to teach writing and have to seek out professional development on writing for themselves. Technology can be leveraged in the elementary writing classroom, but it is an under researched area. The Digital Feedback Protocol is a case study dissertation study with an embedded professional development opportunity that supports teachers to implement a protocol for students to provide digital feedback to each other’s writing. The study was conducted with four third grade teachers and their …

Teacher Candidate Perceptions Of Stem Following An Informal Learning Experience, Megan Rismiller

Honors Projects

In this study, six teacher candidates are interviewed to discover their perceptions of teaching integrated STEM following an informal learning experience. As team leaders at a summer STEM camp, teacher candidates make observations and connections to STEM content areas and practices. Teacher candidates reflect on the behaviors of themselves and their students throughout the process, and note their discoveries about STEM in the classroom setting. They report these findings through a series of questions during a semi-structured interview. Findings show teacher candidates perceive STEM education as a method for engaging learning experiences, as a route to engage students in social-emotional …

Returning To School After A Pandemic: K-6 Education Teachers Perspectives On Low- Income Students Returning To School With Regard To Academic Achievement, Behavior, Mindset, And Social Connections, Sarah Orendorff

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to determine K-6 educators’ perceptions of the impact on low-income students returning to school after the trauma of a pandemic for 2 years with regard to behavior, academic achievement, mindset, and social connections.

Methodology: This qualitative study interviewed 12 K6 teachers who taught before, during, and after the pandemic in Orange County, CA. Semi-structured open ended interview questions was the main source of data collection with other sources including observations, and artifacts. Data was coded and the researcher analyzed the data for themes and patterns.

Findings: After analyzing data, codes, and themes …

Overcoming Gifted Student Underachievement Through Teacher Best Practices, Samantha Simmons Webre

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this study is to collect the best practices being utilized by gifted teachers affecting change amongst their gifted underachieving students. Data collected will explore trends deemed significant among the successful best practices being utilized by academically gifted certified teachers.

The researcher will administer surveys, conduct interviews, and classroom observations to collect data from a sample of participants who are currently employed as academically gifted certified teachers. This study will focus on these academically gifted certified teacher’s definitions and recognition of underachievement, identified causes for underachievement, best practices employed to re-engage underachieving students, as well as perceptions of …

Focus, Drive, And Motivation In Secondary School Populations, Lakeshia Cook

Dissertations

This study, Focus, Drive, and Motivation in Secondary Populations, addresses the topic of middle and high school student motivation to succeed in school. The aim was to discover what motivates and inspires student success. In this study, I delved into issues of low levels of student motivation, drive, and focus and the relative effect of these issues on school performance. The central purpose of this research was to find ways to foster greater levels of student focus, drive, and motivation during their middle and high school experience. The context of the study was a medium-sized charter middle school and a …

How Does Different Level Of Questioning Impact Student Performance, Engagement, And Motivation In A 6th Grade Science Classroom?, Mia Bruesewitz

Education Masters Papers

This study was designed to determine how different level of questioning in a 6th grade science classroom can impact student performance, engagement, and motivation. During the study, students were taught three different lessons, balance and unbalanced forces, friction, and mass versus weight. Data was collected in a 6th grade science class of 25 participants and focused on surveys, pretests, exit slips, at-task checklist, and a final summative assessment. The results of the data showed that there was no significant difference in performance, engagement, or motivation in relation to different level of questioning. The data also showed that activities that students …

Impact Of Brain Breaks On Student Engagement, Motivation, And Achievement In A Third-Grade Classroom, Adrianna Gernes

Education Masters Papers

In a third-grade classroom in a highly populated city, a researcher was concerned about her students’ focus level in the afternoon. Students have a long day at school, their brains get exposed to so much information on a typical day, and it is hard to retain the knowledge as well as being able to stay focused and motivated throughout each and every day. This study investigated how brain breaks affect student engagement, achievement, and motivation. For the entirety of a math unit, math instruction was taught incorporating planned brain breaks throughout each lesson. Data was collected from pre-and post- assessment …

The Motivation And Attitude Of Arab Heritage Children And Their Parents’ Perspectives Toward Learning Arabic, Nada Naji

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the unstable circumstances in the Middle East in the last decade, a large number of immigrants from Arab origins immigrated to non-Arab countries. This immigration created a new generation of Arab heritage learners who want to learn the Arabic language as a heritage language for different reasons. This study investigates the motivation and attitude of Arab heritage children between 10 and 16 years of age and their parents’ perspectives toward learning Arabic as a heritage language in host countries. 143 participants (92 parents, 51 children) living in 17 different non-Arab countries have participated in this study. The method …

The Evolution Of An Elementary Writing Workshop: Fostering Teacher Efficacy And Authentic Authorship In Young Writers, Jennifer Green, Kayla Steber

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Building confidence and efficacy in young writers is critical to long-term academic success, but for many teachers, writing is a complex and challenging discipline to teach. This exploratory case study examines the evolution of a writing workshop in an elementary classroom and the partnership between an instructional coach and teacher. Observational data shed light on the phenomena of student motivation, teacher efficacy, and culturally responsive approaches to writing. Collaborative teaching methods and careful attention to the principles of writing workshop contributed to an enriching journey for the coach, the teacher, and her third-grade students. A portrait of their lived experiences …

Reading Knowledge Transfer From The Pre-Service Teaching Phase To The Novice Teaching Phase: A Phenomenological Study, Natalie Sajko

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This qualitative study explored the experiences of eight novice teachers as they transferred knowledge of reading instruction from their teacher education programs (TEPs) into their first classrooms in a rural district. Specific mechanisms for learning transfer (prior knowledge, motivation, context, and culture) and their perceived influences were also explored. Phenomenology was utilized to help explore these experiences and perceptions. Social constructivism, Situated Learning Theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991) and critical pedagogies (hooks, 2014; Love, 2019) were used to interpret findings in this study. This study centered on the following questions: (1) how do elementary novice teachers perceive reading knowledge transfer …

Using Inquiry In Teacher Professional Learning To Build Efficacy For Writing Instruction, Jacqueline B. Koonce, Melissa Brooks-Yip, Kathleen Gibson

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Whitacre (2019) and Curtis (2017) found that participants’ efficacy impacted their writing instruction and ability to engage students. We share our experiences with a professional development program aimed to improve teacher efficacy and literacy of elementary teachers. In this professional learning network, the Study of Early Literacy (SOEL), a higher percentage of teachers reported to a Hanover Research survey that they felt less confident in teaching writing than other areas of literacy. To address this need, one of the authors developed a subgroup to specifically address the teaching of writing with an inquiry-based action research component. Most of the teachers …

Impact Of Robotic Challenges On Fifth Grade Problem Solving, Julie Rankin

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

This action research project was designed to investigate the impact of educational robotics in a fifth grade rural classroom. The integration of science, technology, engineering, and math in education (STEM) has sparked an increase of robotics in the classroom. The purpose of the study was to determine if problem-solving skills can be impacted through continuing involvement with challenges using various educational robotics and programming tools. The study sought to answer two research questions: (1) How does the introduction of robotics challenges in a fifth-grade classroom impact students’ problem solving skills? (2) How do robotics in the classroom impact student interest …

Elementary Teachers' And Administrators' Perceptions Of Teacher Motivation, Jody Mac Foreman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the study was to compare elementary teachers’ and elementary administrators’ perceptions of teacher motivation. By identifying that differences exist between elementary teachers’ and elementary administrators’ perceptions of what motivates teachers, it allows for administrators to gain a better understanding and possibly design more effective strategies for enhancing teacher motivation. Additionally, it opens the door for further studies, not only with elementary teachers and administrators, but at the middle and high school levels as well. This study used a quantitative methodology with a causal comparative design. The sample population came from two school districts in South Carolina, the …

An Ethnographic Investigation Into The Influence Of Bandura’S Four Psychological Sources Of Information On Late-Career Elementary Teachers’ Self-Efficacy, Ginger Prewitt

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic investigation was to examine and describe the experiences that impact late-career elementary teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs based on A. Bandura’s four psychological sources of information and serves as part of a thematic dissertation with each researcher focusing in a different teacher career stage.

Methodology: Through qualitative methodology utilizing one-on-one interviews of elementary public school teachers with 24 or more years of experience, data was analyzed using the theoretical framework of A. Bandura’s four sources of self-efficacy information.

Findings: Analysis of data from interviews of 15 late-career elementary teachers from five school districts in Riverside County, …

How To Measure The Effectiveness Of Teachers: Validation Of An Instrument Based On The Creative Action Methodology, Paul V.A. Delnooz Dr., Eti W. De Vries Msc, Ma

Pedagogy and the Human Sciences

Creative Action methodology brings together nature (how our brains function) and nurture (the way we educate). When using Creative Action methodology as a didactical method in vocational and primary education, students become more motivated to learn, perform better, and show less oppositional behavior. In this way, the Creative Action methodology adds to the effectiveness of teachers. In this paper, we describe the development of an instrument to measure teachers’ effectiveness. In this article, the research conducted to validate the measurement instrument will be described. Results suggest that the instrument has internal and predictive validity.

Sole (Self Organized Learning Environment) Time!, Hope Fuss

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Welcome to SOLE Time! Imagine how your student’s perception of school would change if they were able to end each day choosing topics and creating amazing learning experiences with peers. SOLE (Self Organized Learning Environment) Time can improve student motivation and achievement levels in your classroom/school. The presenter will show how she took her elementary school through the implementation process of SOLE Time. Participants will leave with an overview of SOLE Time, implementation timelines, possible school schedules, and an online unit where they can begin their own SOLE journey and collaborate with colleagues.

The Power Of Performance: Using Songs And Poetry To Motivate English Language Learners To Read In A Third Grade Classroom, Dana Nelson Reilly

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to find out more about what motivates students to read, and how they can experience success in reading. This study aimed to learn more about this topic by investigating how using poetry and songs during reading instruction in a third grade classroom would impact English Language Learners' attitude and motivation for reading. Data was collected through surveys, interviews, reading assessments, and observations, and I was able to determine how both the students' reading fluency and over reading achievement was effected by singing and reciting poetry. All students showed different levels of growth in the …

A Study Of Fourth-Grade Students' Perceptions On Homework Environment And Academic Motivation In Mathematics, Stefanie Harmon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem at an elementary school is teachers' lack of knowledge and information on the perceptions and motivation of students to complete independent mathematics homework. The purpose of this study was to identify students' perceptions regarding their homework environment and academic motivation in mathematics. The study's conceptual framework, attribution theory, supported the examination of drivers of motivation for participants related to homework completion. Guiding research questions, supported by Keller's ARCS model, focused on the identification of students' perceptions of homework attention, relevance, curiosity, satisfaction, and their preferred homework environment. This qualitative research study obtained data from semistructured interviews with 44 …

The Immigrants In The Central Coast Of California Need Motivation To Attend Classes And Learn English As Their Second Language, Martin Rodriguez-Juarez

Master's Projects and Capstones

This field project shows that the immigrant community that works in the fields from the Central Coast of California need the motivation to attend adult school to learn English as their second language. A six-week courses is included.

An Examination Of Accessible Hands-On Science Learning Experiences, Self-Confidence In One’S Capacity To Function In The Sciences, And Motivation And Interest In Scientific Studies And Careers., Mick D. Isaacson, Cary Supalo, Michelle Michaels, Alan Roth

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This study examined the potential relationship of accessible hands-on science learning experiences to the development of positive beliefs concerning one’s capacity to function in the sciences and motivation to consider science as a college major and career. Findings from Likert survey items given before and after engaging in accessible hands-on science laboratories show that students who were blind or had low vision (BLV) were more likely to agree with the following items after engaging in accessible science experiences: 1) I plan on enrolling as a science major in college; 2) My educational experiences, so far, have given me the …

A Collaborative Approach To Address Student Behavior And Academic Achievement Across Systems, Beverly Ngozi Okereke

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Academic achievement and in-classroom behaviors are two significant child outcomes that affect student success in school. According to Systems Theory, in order to truly understand the factors that affect these outcomes for children, one must look to the major systems that encapsulate the child (including their school and home environments). This project is a meta-analytic review that examined the effectiveness of measures representing each system in predicting child achievement and behavior: School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports (SWPBS) for the school as a system, level of parent involvement (high versus low) for the home system, and student motivation (intrinsic versus extrinsic) for …

Evaluation Of A Goal Setting Intervention With Grades 3-5 Military Dependent Students Targeting Math Proficiency, Whitney Desantis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As military dependent students relocate, they enroll in multiple schools throughout their K-12 experience. Frequent mobility can create gaps in achievement. The challenge in the local setting is meeting the needs of military dependent students scoring below grade level standards in math. The purpose of the formative evaluation was to determine the effectiveness of the Personalized Education Plan (PEP) program and propose refinements. The conceptual framework included goal setting, motivation, engagement, and self-regulation. The concurrent multi-methods study included a central research question on whether a PEP increased student math scores. Questions about student motivation, engagement, self-regulation, and goal setting followed. …

Staff Perceptions Of The Effect Of The Leader In Me On Student Motivation And Peer Relationships In Elementary School, Charlene Tidd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Staff and student surveys at Lane Elementary School (pseudonym) confirm that students lack motivation to complete class work and often struggle to interact appropriately with one another. Similar concerns are reported across the United States as indicated by national Gallup Poll results on student motivation, peer relationships, and feelings of connectedness in schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to determine if elementary school personnel believe than an initiative called The Leader In Me has had a positive impact on student motivation and peer relationships. Underpinning this study were Perrin's student motivation theory and research on social and …

Using Literature Circles To Increase Reading Comprehension And Student Motivation, Michelle Jacobs

Theses and Dissertations

Many educators arrange students in guided reading groups based on their reading lexile. Usually the books selected for guided reading are from a basal reading series and are used to teach different reading components and strategies. However, the books don’t always reflect student cultures, making it difficult for students to hold discussions and make connections. Oftentimes, students are unmotivated to read the assigned books and rarely engage in discussions. Based on research conducted by Daniels (2006), when kids are engaged in well-structured book clubs their comprehension and their attitude towards reading both improve. With ongoing changes in education, educators must …

A Qualitative Collective Case Study Investigating The Motivational Factors Of Elementary-Aged Students In Physical Education Class And Leisurely Physical Activity, Jesse Tanner Beam

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to increase understanding of the influential motivating factors of elementary-aged students in physical education (PE) that foster positive reinforcement to manage student engagement. The study was conducted at three different elementary schools in a school district in the southeastern United States. To determine the factors that influence the students' motivation in PE and leisurely physical activity, a set of data collection sources was used. Student interviews, caregiver surveys, and teacher journal entries were utilized to collect purposeful data that identified the specific factors associated with participation. Data was then transcribed and …

Instructional Approaches That Increase Reading Achievement For Boys, Grades 3-6, Tiffany M. Rudek

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An achievement gap persists in many educational settings with females outperforming males in reading. In a Southern California school district, reading scores for boys average 10 percentile points below those of girls. A qualitative case study was conducted to explore which instructional approaches can help close this gender gap. The conceptual framework for this study was based on engagement theory, which proposes that students who are engaged in learning tasks achieve at higher levels. The guiding question asked how reading achievement for boys in Grades 3-6 could be improved in the district under study. Semistructured individual interviews were conducted with …