This study examined children's use of narrative strategies and social purposes in dramatic play through a sociocultural theoretical lens. We analysed language and nonverbal communication in play scenarios involving 17 kindergarteners and their teacher. Children used language and other communication modes to develop plot, character, and setting.…

Word problems form an important part of the early grade mathematics curriculum in South Africa. Studies have shown that the relative difficulty of word problems differ: learners are more likely to solve certain types of word problems than others, with compare type problems being the most difficult. In order to help early grade learners understand…

Educators in gifted education struggle to identify effective strategies for identifying gifted students from under-served populations who would benefit from gifted education services. Using data from a longitudinal study and drawing from an initial student sample in 12 low-income rural districts, we examined an alternative identification process…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference between student ELA growth scores among two intervention programs based on the delivery method. Multiple tools have been implemented in schools to improve student learning outcomes in reading. These include but are not limited to Reading Plus (RP) and Leveled Literacy…

This study investigated the interplay of digital capacity building (skills) and infrastructure (Internet access) in shaping teaching and learning practices in a rural community. Educators in rural areas, especially in developing nations, face difficulties in accessing digital resources and Internet connectivity, which hinder the integration of…

Purpose: Alternative service delivery approaches are required to provide support for children with communication difficulties in underserved communities. Schools have a unique set of assets that can be utilized to provide this support. This study explored what the education sector and classrooms in the early years of schooling offer as support for…

Context: This research contributes to a growing body of scholarship on affirming and accommodating transgender and gender-diverse students in elementary school spaces by exploring how institutional resistance to gender-inclusive practices manifested in a single rural school district. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: The study…

This study reports the findings of a mixed method research study (qualitative and quantitative) on the effectiveness of specifically developed learning resources and workshops on handwashing for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in the UK. The "A Germ's Journey" educational resources were developed to aid both young…

The overarching purpose of writing is to communicate. As such, the intended audience is a critical consideration for writers. However, elementary school writing instruction commonly neglects the role of the audience. Typically, children are asked to compose a piece of text without a specific audience in mind that is usually evaluated by the…

The professional pressure of preschool teachers in rural China is closely related to the stability of the teaching staff and the development of children. A study of 734 teachers in 155 rural preschools from three national-level poverty-stricken counties and one non-poverty county in Hubei Province showed that current rural preschool teachers are…

This qualitative multiple case study is a follow-up to a study completed in 2007 that examined characteristics of rural school districts experiencing a high rate of superintendent turnover. The original study design incorporated extensive interviews with participants across four rural school districts; triangulating interview results with…

Teachers are leaving the teaching profession before reaching the age of retirement at increasingly high numbers, many citing increased stress as a factor in their decision to quit, contributing to a national teacher shortage. This qualitative study investigated the stressors experienced by eight K-12 teachers in a rural Pennsylvania school…

School leaders are continuously searching for innovative educational practices such as the use of digital badges to curtail illiteracy. Digital badges are electronic representations of academic achievements that offer a more cohesive and comprehensive account of learning. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental research study was to…

Professional learning provides the opportunity to improve teacher practice and student outcomes; however, challenges exist in ensuring that teachers can access quality professional learning. Teachers in regional and remote schools may have even more limited access to the expertise required to support changes in practice than their peers in…

Problem posing is the act of creating one's own problems, unlike the traditional practice of solving problems posed by others. Problem posing is not a commonly taught topic. Though some students have difficulties acquiring problem-posing skills, the positive effects are far reaching. A quasi-experimental research design was used to determine the…