Browsing by Subject "Elementary"

Now showing 1 - 16 of 16

Antiracist pedagogy in the elementary literacy classroom : talking about race and racism across one school year
(2021-06-22) Daly-Lesch, Anne Colleen; Maloch, Beth; Awad , Germine H.; Brown, Keffrelyn D.; Dávila , Denise; Worthy , Jo
This study explores how two elementary teachers, one of whom identifies as multiracial and the other as white, enact antiracist pedagogy by talking about race and racism when teaching literacy. This study also examines how fourth-grade students participate in race-based discussions across one academic school year. The literature suggests that facilitating conversations about race presents pedagogical challenges for many teachers, and that students need multiple opportunities to develop racial literacy. Drawing on critical theories of race and discourse, this study offers a contextualized account of how teachers and students sustain race-based discussions over time. The following research questions guided this study: 1) How do teachers facilitate conversations about race and racism?, and 2) How do students participate in discussions about race and racism? The qualitative, multiple case study took place in two elementary schools, one that served a working class, Latinx community, and one that served an affluent suburban neighborhood of predominantly South Asian and white families. Using an ethnographic approach, data collection took place across the 2019-2020 school year, and data sources included: video and audio recordings, fieldnotes of classroom conversations about race, semi-structured interviews with teachers and students, and artifacts related to literature and discussions about race and racism. 35 conversations from both classrooms were selected for further analysis to examine how teachers and students co-constructed meaning about race through ongoing discussion and interactions. To address the first research question, analysis indicated that the teachers integrated conversations about race and racism into their regular literacy instruction and used a number of pedagogical and discursive practices I refer to as race talk moves to navigate tensions and sustain racial dialogue over time. To address the second research question, analysis indicated that students continuously practiced racial literacy within a classroom community and that shifts occurred in students’ language and literacy practices regarding race. This study and its findings suggest that antiracist pedagogy can be realized in the elementary literacy classroom through everyday conversations about race to support young students’ racial literacy development over time.
Behavioral and academic effects of brainology
(2013-05) Todd, Melissa Kay; Flower, Andrea L.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a computer program for students with emotional behavioral disorder (EBD) on behavior and academics. This concurrent, multiple baseline study investigated the use of Brainology with three upper elementary students diagnosed with EBD. Evaluations across behavior, academics, and behavioral academic indicators resulted in indications of possible effectiveness with one fourth grade student and limited to no effects with the other two students. There was a lack of multiple demonstration of intervention effect in this study across the baseline for behavior. Overall, student effort appeared to increase using this intervention, which is an important finding given the problems with disengagement that students with EBD experience (Wagner et al., 2004. Despite the limited results of this study, Brainology appears to hold some promise for students with EBD and it is hoped that further research will explore this possibility further. The teachers and students indicated that the treatment had strong to moderate validity on validity measures. Implications for Brainology and students with EBD are presented. Study limitations and directions for future research and practice are discussed.
Case study of the practices positively impacting culture and sustained student academic achievement on an elementary campus
(2023-04-12) Price, Jeffrey Randolph; Cantu, Norma V., 1954-; Olivárez, Rubén; Cruz, Paul; Breidenstein, Angela
The purpose of this case study was to examine the practices and culture applied on an elementary campus as part of an academic turnaround that was sustained for at least one consecutive academic year. The Effective Schools Framework used in Texas to improve the campus academically and the four frames of leadership concepts were applied as an integrated conceptual framework for examining how the case study’s principal sustained the academic improvement beyond the first year of turnaround. There were three research questions: (a) What practices and culture are applied on an elementary campus as part of academic turnaround by the school principal? (b) What practices and culture are applied on an elementary campus as part of academic turnaround by the teachers, particularly by the teachers of the tested subjects? (c) What practices and culture are applied on an elementary campus as part of academic turnaround to build turnaround sustainability? The case focused on one urban elementary school with a diverse student population that underperformed on standardized academic performance measures. The elementary campus improved from a D state accountability rating and sustained a C rating for 2 consecutive rating years. The principal and the participating teachers of the one-on-one interviews had been working at the school with the principal during the first turnaround years and sustained their employment on campus. The principal participated in two interviews. Five teachers of STAAR testing grade levels and whose students took the STAAR test during the turnaround year were interviewed individually. Teachers of any grade during the turnaround or sustained academic years participated in a focus group. Data were analyzed using NVivo software and the following themes emerged: (a) principal set expectations and goals; (b) principal created specific planning structures; (c) strategic staffing by the principal; (d) structured planning process within professional learning communities (PLC); (e) collaborative work beyond the PLC structure; (f) flexible grouping among classrooms and grade levels; (g) consistency of staff, expectations, and campus systems; (h) fear of backsliding on academic progress; and (i) reflective planning.
Cross contextual meaning making : a study of children's talk within and across literacy contexts in one multiage classroom
(2014-05) Peterson, Katie Elizabeth; Roser, Nancy; Worthy, Jo
In this embedded case study, I examined and documented discussions of literature across two literacy contexts within one multiage classroom. Further, I explored the experiences of four focal students within and across the two contexts, highlighting the affordances of each space and considering the implications of tacit rules of participation for individual students. I employed ethnographic data collection methods including field notes, audio and video recordings, semi-structured interviews, and student and teacher created artifacts. Data analysis drew on constant comparative methods as well as traditions of interactive sociolinguistics. Drawing on sociocultural theories of learning and transactional theories of reading response, the study demonstrates the ways in which talk is used as a tool for meaning-making tasks including comprehension, argumentation, and identity construction. The study highlights the purposeful and strategic instructional moves made by the classroom teachers in discussion that facilitated more complete and complex interpretations of texts. The cases of the focal students illustrate the affordances of each context as well as demonstrating the ways in which responses to literature might be leveraged to claim identity positions within the classroom. The study cultivates deeper understanding about the importance of individual contributions within discussion contexts, as well as demonstrating the ways in which children and teachers mediate meaning making in collaborative contexts. The findings suggest implications for the ways in which educators might support and draw on individual approaches to response to facilitate divergent meaning making and expansion of repertoires of response for students. In addition, the study suggests implications for the careful design and development of contexts in which children are granted interpretive authority and encouraged to engage in collaborative meaning-making.
Discipline without derailing : an investigation of exclusionary discipline practices in schools
(2013-12) Cohen, Rebecca Weil; Vasquez Heilig, Julian
Maintaining a safe and orderly learning environment in schools is fundamental to the greater goals of education, but determining optimal disciplinary responses to student misbehavior is often complicated. While there is an abundance of research that speaks to the negative impact of exclusionary discipline (e.g., suspension, expulsion or any other disciplinary response that removes a student from the traditional classroom setting) on student behavioral and academic outcomes, there is an absence of work that examines if, when, and to what extent a student is actually better off receiving non-exclusionary dispositions. Using multivariate regression analysis on a unique dataset from an urban Texas school district, this study directly compares the impact of exclusionary vs. non-exclusionary discipline on student outcomes (controlling for student characteristics, school characteristics, and offense type). Additionally, the study examines the extent to which offense type influences the relationship between disposition and student outcomes. The study’s findings suggest that a student is generally worse off in terms of academic progress and risk of future offenses when she/he receives an exclusionary disposition for any disciplinary infraction. The impact of exclusion, however, was shown to vary by student offense.
ESL writing strategies for art instruction
(2014-08) Treviño, Cynthia Jane; Bolin, Paul Erik, 1954-; Bain, Christina
The purpose of this study was to investigate English as a second language (ESL) strategies and modify them for use in the art classroom. The goal of this research was to help improve writing skills for English language learners (ELLs). This study utilized collaborative action research to understand teaching practices and develop curriculum for 4th grade students at Texas Elementary School in the Lejana Independent School District. During this study I collaborated with Ana Rivera, the art teacher at Texas Elementary School. Through a semi-structured interview and informal discussions, we developed an art lesson, Creating a Comic Book, which combined writing and drawing activities. Several lesson resources were also created as a result of our collaboration. Data was collected from the semi-structured interview, teacher and student reflections, field notes, and photos of students’ writing and artwork. By identifying academic areas that need support, I was able to draw conclusions and provide suggestions for ESL strategies. The findings of this study indicate that art educators can help improve writing skills for ELLs by utilizing vocabulary development, physical gestures, body language, visuals, and demonstrations. After reviewing a final lesson evaluation and analyzing data, I was able to provide recommendations for other art educators. These recommendations include support for native languages, create connections between home and school, encourage rigorous thinking, and edit student writing. It is my purpose that my research be shared with educators and administrators in the Lejana Independent School District and other professional venues of research dissemination.
Exploring culturally responsive mathematics instruction with Latino/a learners in elementary classrooms
(2013-12) Platt, Gwen Marie; Sorrells, Audrey McCray; Garcia, Shernaz C; Bryant, Diane P; Linan-Thompson, Sylvia; Salinas, Cynthia
Schools are, to a large degree, failing to teach mathematics to large numbers of culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse (CLSD) students. Two factors that support this assertion are the low achievement and high dropout rates of many CLSD students. Latino students, in particular, score among the lowest of all student groups and have the highest dropout rates. Research indicates that culturally responsive teaching (CRT) is a promising approach to improving achievement. CRT teaches to and through the rich cultural heritage that CLSD students bring to the classroom. There have been very few studies of CRT with Latino students who are typically viewed as being at educational risk. The purpose of this study is to describe how successful upper elementary teachers teach mathematics to Latino students with and without disabilities. The research questions guiding this inquiry were: (1) What are the features of math instruction utilized by successful elementary math teachers of Latino/a students typically viewed as being at educational risk? (2) How are these features responsive to students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds and personal life experiences? (3) How do their instructional practices with Latino/a students correspond with the theoretical principles of culturally responsive teaching? This study employed a multiple case study design (Stake, 1995) with the mathematics classroom making up the bounded system. Five teachers and their students served as embedded units of analysis who were instrumental in understanding culturally responsive teaching. Data were collected through observation, guided semi-structured interviews and field notes about participating teachers instruction. Data analysis consisted of constant comparison and by noting patterns and themes, arriving at comparisons and contrasts, and determining conceptual explanations for the data. Results revealed that teachers used a wide variety of teaching methods including reviewing previously learned concepts, making instruction relevant, making instruction comprehensible, and teaching through music, rhymes, movement, and visuals. Findings revealed that there was very little evidence that teachers overtly planned activities that directly addressed culture. Implications for future research and teacher preparation programs are discussed.
Language dimensionality in Spanish-English bilingual children
(2016-08-12) Lugo-Neris, Mirza Jeannette; Peña, Elizabeth D.; Bedore, Lisa M; Sheng, Li; Griffin, Zenzi M; Anthony, Jason L
The purpose of the current study was to characterize the relationships across languages and domains on a variety of linguistic tasks for a sample of school-aged Spanish-English (SE) bilingual children. Data for 164 bilingual second and fourth graders were analyzed and included the following measures (in Spanish and English): semantics and morphosyntax subtests of the Bilingual English Spanish Assessment - Middle Extension (BESAME; Peña, Bedore, Iglesias, Gutiérrez-Clellen, Goldstein, in development), the Test of Narrative Language (TNL; Gillam & Pearson, 2004; Gillam, Peña, Bedore, & Pearson, in development), and the Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test (EOWPVT; Brownell, 2000; Brownell 2001). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) allowed testing the applicability of hypothesized models of language based on single-language studies to a bilingual sample. In addition, cross-linguistic models were tested to examine the underlying structure of language across measures in both Spanish and English. Examination of dimensionality by language in school-age SE bilingual children yielded a 3-factor model (semantics, morphosyntax, and discourse). However, findings for cross-linguistic dimensionality were inconclusive. Results are discussed in terms of relationships within and across languages as well as within and across domains.
Montessori guide decision-making : how elementary Montessori guides made instructional decisions
(2013-05) Hunt, Nathalie Jean; Brown, Keffrelyn D.,; Brown, Keffrelyn D.
Teacher decision-making is referred to as the fundamental responsibility of teachers. All teachers are asked to make decisions on a daily basis in their classrooms. For decades researchers have collected data on teacher decision-making in hopes to understand how teachers make decisions and why. Interestingly, most researchers collect data on teacher decision-making only in public school classrooms. The purpose of this study was to collect teacher decision-making data in a nearly unexplored classroom environment, the lower elementary Montessori classroom. The objective of this study was to examine what characteristics operated in the decision-making of two lower elementary Montessori guides. The hypothesis was lower elementary Montessori guides may have more opportunities to understand and approach care and culturally responsive teaching given the Montessori environment seeks to develop the whole child. In order to explore lower elementary Montessori guide decision-making I chose to perform a qualitative case study design. First, I gathered information about the school. Second, I collected data on the two lower elementary Montessori guides in this study. Once data was collected I reviewed the data for emerging themes. Then, I asked the question how was care and cultural responsiveness understood and approached in the decision-making of these two lower elementary Montessori guides.The findings of this study revealed three (3) main influences on the decision-making of lower elementary Montessori guides at River Montessori: (1) Association Montessori Internationale Training (AMI); (2) school ideology; and (3) guide improvisation based on student observation. Care and cultural responsiveness was understood and approached by both lower elementary Montessori guides in this study. However, the enactments of cultural responsiveness fell short of normative understandings of culturally responsive teaching (Gay, 2000; 2002).
The need for (digital) story : first graders using digital tools to tell stories
(2010-05) Solomon, Marva Jeanine, 1964-; Maloch, Beth; Salinas, Cynthia; Worthy, Jo; Hoffman, James; Schallert, Diane
The purpose of this study was to explore the process and product of African American First Graders as they participated in digital storytelling. Of interest was the role digital tools played in the creation process. Eight participants participated in 18 study sessions during which they composed, recorded, and then shared their digital texts with their peers and at home. Data sources included classroom observations, parent and teacher questionnaires, participant pre and post interviews, field notes, video and audio tapes of sessions, and story screenshot captures and print outs. Study questions focused on the nature of the texts the student produced, the role of the digital in the creation process, and the meanings and purposes the participants had for the texts they produced. This study’s findings challenge teachers to offer students authentic experiences with writing so that children can construct their own ideas and interests, their own writing personalities. Digital texts were a particularly engaging medium for these young children and allowed them to produce texts that reflected their identities as well as their attitudes toward using digital tools. The nature of the texts varied depending on the child, his or her attitude toward using the digital tools, and likely their previous experiences with composition. One unique type of text was identified as a hybrid text that seemed to capitalize on both the ability of the child storyteller and the affordances of the digital. Due to the study’s emphasis on sharing these texts with peers and at home, the first graders were introduced to a sophisticated view of audience. This transactional role of the audience made them aware of audience as a living, breathing entity that gains ownership of the texts’ meanings once they are shared.
One leopard gecko, two warrior cats, and three fiddler crabs : a study of the science identity work of fifth-graders around the science classroom
(2019-09-23) Mann, Michele Johnson; Azevedo, Flávio S.; Petrosino, Anthony J; Riegle-Crumb, Catherine; Buskirk, Ruth E
This research contributes to the understanding of identity by investigating the processes and dynamics of students’ science identity work. Specifically, my analysis is concerned with the identity work that students perform as they craft desired and projected identities in and around science topics. I collected data when observing the students, examining and recording their artifacts, interviewing the students (both formally and informally), and interviewing their teachers and parents. I focused on four episodes of identity work of fifth graders. One episode is about a student group I call “the Ringo Keepers.” The second episode is about two girls doing imaginary play using books they are reading as their guide. The third episode is about a student working on an identity of being helpful using science content. The final episode is about students developing a process to catch fiddler crabs. One main conclusion from this research is that science identity work happened adjacent to other identity work the students were doing. This way of looking at science identity work— identity work happening as an unexpected result of other work or play done by the students—is unique. Secondly, research on pretend play happening in fifth-grade students while at school is either limited or does not exist, especially on imaginary play with identity work. One last interesting finding is that identity work can happen collectively, yet at the same time is unique for each individual. While the group is working as one unit, because each individual is an individual with their own unique history, their identity work has a group component and an individual component. From these findings, I would like to further investigate how the organization of a school can support or hinder science identity work in and around the science classroom.
The relationship between the theory of transformational leadership and data use in schools : an exploratory study
(2011-05) Goodnow, Elisabeth; Wayman, Jeffrey C.; O'Doherty, Ann; Young, Michelle; Gooden, Mark; Rhodes, Lodis
Nationwide reform efforts strive to improve schooling through a range of approaches including improving the quality of campus leadership, restructuring organizational design, and revamping instruction. National and state education policies reflect the reforms addressed in educational research literature and drive state, district, and campus based improvement initiatives. For example, the more recent influence of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) accountability system has led to a significant increase in the use of data to drive instructional decision-making. Campus leadership is key to both the successful implementation of data initiatives (Wayman and Stringfield, 2006) as well as comprehensive reform efforts (Leithwood & Jantzi, 2005). The literature provides a wide array of leadership theories that offer promise in understanding more effective approaches to leading school improvement efforts; however, much of this literature remains conceptual and vague (Leithwood, Harris, & Hopkins 2008). Data use has gained increasing attention in the literature as well, but the research lacks a strong conceptual framework for leadership. The purpose of this paper is to view data use through the lens of Leithwood’s model of Transformational Leadership in order to explore the linkages between the leadership theory and data use practices and to offer a framework that situates data use as a tool to increase all students’ academic performance and build a democratic and socially just learning organization. The linkages between Transformational Leadership and data use are presented as both bodies of literature are reviewed. The study was guided by the following questions: 1) What are the levels of Transformational Leadership Behaviors exhibited at each campus? 2) What are the data use practices being implemented on each campus? 3) What is the relationship between Transformational Leadership and data use? Two schools served as the sites for the research which drew on both quantitative and qualitative data sources to address the research questions. Results and findings show evidence of Transformational Leadership Behaviors that linked closely with the data use practices. The final discussion offers a preliminary conceptual framework delineating the intersection between the theory of Transformational Leadership and data use in schools.
Targeting the reading and behavioral skills of young struggling readers with and at-risk for EBD
(2015-08) Sciuchetti, Maria Bridgette; Flower, Andrea L.; Falcomata, Terry; Robertson, Phyllis; Tackett, Kathryn; Toste, Jessica
The effects of a multicomponent, reading and behavior support, intervention on the oral reading fluency, word-identification fluency, and off-task behavior performance of first and second grade students demonstrating reading and behavior risk were explored. The intervention was implemented as a supplement to classroom instruction within the secondary tier of a Response to Intervention model. Three students participated in the study. Student achievement scores on curriculum-based measures of oral reading and word-identification fluency were reported. In addition, concurrent data on student off-task behavior was gathered and reported. A multiple baseline (A-B-C) across participants design was implemented to compare a fluency-building only condition (phase B) to baseline (phase A), and a behavior support condition (phase C) to the fluency-building phase. Results of visual data analysis indicated variable performance across participants and phases, with overall increases in reading fluency and decreases in off-task behavior noted across participants and phases. In addition, data analysis revealed the addition of the behavioral support component resulted in (a) decreases in student off-task behavior and (b) greater gains in reading fluency when compared to performance during the previous phase. At the onset of the study, all participants demonstrated reading and behavior risk. Probes administered in the final weeks of the study revealed that two participants were no longer in the reading risk range. Despite large gains in oral reading fluency (+35 words correct per minute), one participant was still in the risk range. All participants exceeded their respective realistic and ambitious reading goals. Limitations, recommendations for future research, and implications for practice are presented.
The differential effect of anxiety on reading achievement in upper elementary grade students with reading difficulty
(2023-04-17) Fishstrom, Sarah; Vaughn, Sharon, 1952-; Clemens , Nathan; Doabler, Christian; Capin, Phil; Roberts, Greg
This study addresses the relation between anxiety and reading achievement through an examination of two issues: (1) determining the relations among self-reported reading anxiety, general anxiety, and test anxiety measures in a sample of upper elementary grade students with reading difficulties, and (2) exploring whether reading anxiety, test anxiety, and general anxiety differentially predict reading achievement (overall and based on quantile scores) on word reading, fluency, and comprehension measures in a sample of struggling readers in the upper elementary grades (third, fourth, and fifth- grade students). Data were collected at one time point (pretest only) from three cohorts of students (n = 536) prior to implementation of the intervention. Ordinary least squares regression and unconditional quantile regression approaches were used in order to better understand the relation along a distribution of reading ability. Results showed that the three anxiety measures were positively and statistically significantly related to each other (ranging from .51 to .56, p < .001). Ordinary least squares regression estimates yielded a negative and statistically significant relation between reading anxiety and two of three timed measures of reading, but not on the untimed measures. Unconditional quantile regression estimates show an association between reading anxiety and reading achievement at higher quantiles. Hypothesized results reveal a stronger correlation between reading anxiety and reading achievement than between the other anxiety measures (general anxiety and test anxiety) and reading achievement. However, the hypothesis that the lowest quantile of students in reading ability would reveal the strongest prediction between reading anxiety and reading outcomes was not confirmed. The findings revealed that anxiety did not predict reading outcomes for students in the lowest quantile but did predict the relation for the upper quantiles. The results from this study may help to support future reading interventions efforts, by better understanding different subgroups of struggling readers where anxiety differentially predicts reading achievement outcomes.
The effects of a text structure and paraphrasing intervention on the main idea generation and reading comprehension of struggling readers in grades 4 and 5
(2018-10-08) Stevens, Elizabeth Ann, Ph. D.; Vaguhn, Sharon, 1952-; Barnes, Marcia; Beretvas, Natasha; Powell, Sarah
Identifying main ideas and summarizing text are evidence-based practices associated with improved reading comprehension outcomes. Struggling readers, however, have difficulty identifying main ideas. Previous reading interventions examined comprehension instruction that included paraphrasing or text structure instruction, which improved main idea identification and text structure identification, respectively. In a systematic review of the literature, I located no studies that have yet examined the impact of combined instruction in paraphrasing and text structure on the reading comprehension outcomes of struggling readers. This study examined the effects of a small group intervention targeting paraphrasing and text structure instruction on the main idea generation and reading comprehension of struggling readers in grades 4 and 5. Students were randomly assigned to receive the Tier 2-type intervention (n = 31) or a business-as-usual comparison group (n = 31). Students in the intervention received 25, 40-minute lessons focused on paraphrasing sections of text by identifying the main topic and the most important idea about that topic. Students utilized the text structure organization to inform their main idea generation; main idea statements were written in a way that aligned with the overarching structure of the text. Multiple regression analyses yielded statistically significant, positive results in favor of the intervention group on measures of text structure identification (R² = .13) and main idea generation (R² = .11); there were no statistically significant effects on a measure of general reading comprehension. These findings provide initial support for utilizing this instruction to improve students' main idea generation on untaught structures. Word reading skill at pre-test was not a statistically significant moderator of intervention effects on any outcome measure; students with below average, average, and above average word reading skill benefited equally from the intervention. Students' perceptions of the main idea instruction were positive. Future research might investigate further iterations of this type of comprehension intervention with larger, more heterogeneous samples in order to assess the generalizability of the results.
What’s going on at Zapata Elementary? people, research, and technology in educational spaces : an experiment in experience and possibility
(2011-08) Olmanson, Justin Douglas; Liu, Min, Ed. D.; Cary, Lisa J.; Hughes, Joan; Wetzel, Melissa; Stewart, Kathleen
Given the proliferation of technological tools, environments, and supports within the field of education, and the predominant investigative orientation of educational technology researchers being intervention-focused, a minority of scholars have called for other ways of understanding the nuance and contours of educational interactions and technology. This study explores the possibilities for such an orientation at the public elementary school level by maintaining a non-traditional theoretical and wide contextual focus. Toward this end, this study performs and constitutes an experimental mode of address meant to further considerations of educational technology use and educational technology discourse in and around school libraries, second, third, fourth, and fifth grade bilingual, ESL, and regular classrooms. This work is a Deleuzian experiment in New Ethnographic Writing and New Ethnography that also explores aspects of critical design ethnography and the affinity-based design of an educational mashup. Ethnographic attentions were applied over four-year period concentrating on language arts, ESL, and literacy activities. Through performative writing, loose networks of individuals, artifacts, places, processes, movement, and machines are explored.