The purpose of this study was to create an educative guidebook for teachers based on the principles of Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI), a constructivist approach to teaching mathematics through contextual word problems. The guidebook is designed to be used as a First- Grade mathematics supplemental curriculum resource with complete, daily…

This study investigated how three fifth-grade students' understanding of fraction and decimal magnitude evolved over the course of a five-week teaching experiment. Students participated in teaching and learning sessions focused on developing concepts of fraction and decimal magnitude. The following questions guided this study: (1) How do fifth…

The problem addressed in this study was the challenges teachers experience implementing their own ethical leadership behavior style working with students in the classroom. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory narrative inquiry study was to explore teachers' perceptions through their stories regarding the challenges of implementing their own…

This action research study describes the impact of ability grouping on fifth-grade students' academic achievement in reading. The theoretical framework that supported this study is embedded in cooperative learning, social learning, social interdependence, and self-efficacy. This study used a mixed methods design to consider the following research…

Students in elementary school have trouble grasping skills in mathematics due to a lack of foundational skills including adding, subtraction, multiplication, and division. When students struggle with mathematics skills, it may impact their standardized assessment. The purpose of this triangulation mixed-method study was to identify the…

In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on the use of functional assessment (FA) in the selection of treatments for problem behaviors. Scholars now generally accept that an understanding of the antecedents and consequences of problem behavior, achieved through a FA, is necessary to select the most effective treatment procedure. Yet,…

More than 50% of sixth-grade students at an urban middle school in the Southeastern United States scored below the 50th percentile (B50PR) of expected student outcomes on the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth reading assessment. The problem to addressed in this study was that many sixth-grade students in the United States lack proficiency…

Within the last 100 years, the number of school districts in America has dropped by as much as 90% (Murdock, 2012), from 117,108 in 1939 to 13,452 in 2019 (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2020). Funding and how to provide educational equity, equality, and justice for all is a critical conversation. According to the North Dakota…

Many elementary school students require and may benefit from supplemental reading support and interventions that can be provided by afterschool programs. The problem addressed in this study was that it was not known if third grade students benefited from an afterschool reading program in one East Tennessee District. The purpose of this…

The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to describe and explain children's thinking present in multiple related contexts surrounding a single Earth Space disciplinary core idea in order to provide insight on whether and how children's everyday thinking forms the basis for learning in science classrooms. As most previous work on…

This dissertation examines how first-grade children, as a community of learners, used technology in meaningful and authentic ways within their everyday literacy practices. Two research questions were posited: What are the literacy practices of first graders as they use digital technologies within their everyday community of learners; and how do…

This study utilized a basic interpretive design to explore the experiences of parents/guardians who enrolled their children in the Build Our Kids for Success Program (BOKS) and autoethnography to explore the experiences of the researcher while implementing the BOKS program. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 individuals representing 13…

The research problem addressed in this study was the low reading achievement scores of fourth grade students and fourth grade reading teachers' struggles raising reading achievement. The purpose of the study was to explore fourth grade reading teachers' experiences of finding strategies and interventions to improve reading achievement. The…

Early literacy proficiency is a crucial predictor of later reading success, but research in this area often overlooks the unique challenges faced by English Learners (EL). This study addressed a significant gap in the literature by investigating the relationships between Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) scores, English…

Student-centered teaching (SCT) has been the dominant education philosophy in the U.S. K-12 education. However, the definition and practice of SCT have been rooted in western education contexts. Since students in U.S. schools become more and more diverse, it remains unclear how SCT works for diverse learners. This research delved into the…