Interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is more important than ever since the Pandemic ravaged our nation's medical resources and personnel. This exploratory study, intended to establish and characterize potential identifiers and markers of student interest development in an inquiry-driven learning…

This dissertation explores the dynamics of a formal classroom and an informal nature-based learning environment, focusing on their impact on student subjectification and knowledge authority. The study, conducted with a cohort of 27 fifth-grade students and their teacher, employs a comparative case study methodology to analyze how teaching…

In this research study, an instructional intervention protocol is described. This intervention was designed to help teachers to engage English Learner students (ELs) in mathematical problem-solving lessons and reasoning through discourse. The "Discursive Mathematics Protocol" (DMP) integrates Polya's classic problem-solving framework and…

Students do their best work when they have a sense of agency around science and science learning. Scientific practices like argumentation and critique are areas in which students' agency is especially visible, as they require many points of decision-making and evaluation. While argumentation and critique are fundamental practices in both classroom…

Storytelling is universal and is popular in many cultures where it is a medium people use to preserve their beliefs, social values, wisdom, and cultural experiences as well as transfer them from one generation to another. In American Samoa, over 90% of students are classified as English Language Learners (ELLs) and literacy rates are very low,…

Existing research studies had analyzed the perceptions of read-aloud accommodations (RAAs) on both students with learning impairment and students without learning impairment at the elementary level; however, the results were mixed. RAAs had been recommended as an aid to help eliminate difficulties faced by students with learning impairments mainly…

This case study examined the impact of Quaver's Marvelous World of Music on an elementary school music program. Quaver's Marvelous World of Music is a software music curriculum designed to be used in Grades K-8. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact on the students' musical self-efficacy, interactive engagement, enjoyment of music…

This case study was designed to explore how professional development for teachers in literacy and reading instruction was perceived by teachers as influencing their levels of self-efficacy, teaching practices, as well as affecting achievement levels for students. The population for the study was 13 grade 3-5 teachers from an urban elementary…

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine small group, peer-led discussion as it connects to meaning-making of informational texts for diverse learners. Since students in the United States are currently struggling to meet informational text requirements outlined by the Common Core State Standards (National Governors Association…

The goal of this study was to document the characteristics of students' dispositions towards mathematics when they engaged in the exploration of parts of unsolved problems: Graceful Tree Conjecture and Collatz Conjecture. Ten students, Grades 4 and 5, from an after-school program in the Midwest participated in the study. I focused on the…

The issue of identifying, placing and educating struggling students who are developing two languages has been a topic of conversation among educators and researchers for decades. However, there continue to be inconsistencies about how Emergent Bilingual (EB) students who struggle academically are instructed and assessed for special education…

This qualitative multiple case study explored the factors that impact the recreational reading selections of gifted students. Eleven students in grades four and five participated in the study. The methods of data collection included in-depth personal interviews and analysis of library circulation records and independent reading program data. The…

Decoding deficits began in the early grades and without remediation created a subgroup of students performing below the expected level of the grade level of achievement. Examining oral reading fluency and phonics instruction provided information to the effectiveness of these reading areas taught individually or in tandem using scripted…

The development of the Internet allows for hybrid models of instruction that marry face-to-face and online learning (Osguthorpe & Graham, 2003). The purpose of this study was to explore blended learning and traditional instruction in three fifth grade literacy classrooms, examining the teaching and learning students engaged in during the…

In an urban Title 1 school district, the average number of Grade 3-5 students who scored proficient or advanced on the state standardized assessment was 37.3% below Grade 3-5 students countywide and 19.4% below Grade 3-5 students statewide. Low mathematics scores may indicate a gap in practice that affects student achievement. The purpose of this…