This instrumental mixed methods case study investigated Grades 3-5 classroom teachers' perceptions of teaching for creativity and the effects of a researcher-developed, one-day, online professional development creativity module intervention within a suburban school district in south-central Pennsylvania. Creativity has been identified as a…

Elementary teachers continue to endure increased pressure as additional weights are pressed from state requirements and recommendations, local and national social burdens heighten, and confrontation with increased student needs persist; yet support structures devised for teachers to be able to enact transformational leaps lack. Questions guiding…

Providing engaging, rigorous social studies education at the elementary level is a challenge faced by school districts across the country. In K-12 schools nationwide, social studies education is often neglected so that more time can be devoted to ELA and math, both of which have annual standardized tests associated with them that often carry high…

Reading consists of many interconnected skills. Research recommends that beginning readers focus on a set of basic skills, specifically referred to as the "foundational skills" (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices [NGACBP], Council of Chief State School Officers [CCSSO], 2010). Essential to forming the base for…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how educators support and describe implementation of intercultural pedagogy practices in one urban dual language elementary school in the northeastern region within the state of Pennsylvania. The overall research question focused on how the K-5th grade principal and teachers…

The importance of effective reading instruction in the primary grades cannot be overstated. Teachers are expected to be qualified and capable literacy teachers to produce proficient readers (Bornfreund, 2012; Walsh et al., 2006). The purpose of this study was to explore Pennsylvania kindergarten, first, and second grade teachers' perceptions,…

Microcredentials are a promising means for expanding teacher access to high quality professional development. This study examined the effectiveness of online, self-paced microcredential courses designed for teachers working in underserved rural communities. The content of these competency-based microcredentials centered on recommended…

Forty-four elementary grade teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students were surveyed about how they taught writing and their beliefs about writing. Beliefs about writing included their self-efficacy to teach writing, attitude toward writing, and epistemological beliefs about writing. These teachers from fifteen different states in the United…

Forty-four elementary grade teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students were surveyed about how they taught writing and their beliefs about writing. Beliefs about writing included their self-efficacy to teach writing, attitude towards writing, and epistemological beliefs about writing. These teachers from 15 different states in the United States…

This mixed methods action research dissertation examines the effects of implementing growth mindset teaching practices in third grade math as a means to improve student math self-efficacy, math mindset and student achievement. Since the transition to the Pennsylvania Core Standards, students across the state including those in this district have…

By participating in global projects, students learn to communicate, asynchronously or synchronously, through digital tools and media. The project in this article paired pre-service teachers in the United States with primary students, ages 8 to 10, in South Korea. The intent was to expose pre-service teachers to global collaboration projects, and…

A number of states and organizations have begun to add cross-content technology elements to their educational standards, providing teachers opportunities to use social media communication (SMC) technology in teaching and learning. Specifically, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the PA Core Standards, which are adapted from the national Common…

A primary contributor to facilitating student learning in mathematics includes the mathematics teacher. The design of instructional delivery, presentation of engaging activities and analysis of student feedback are the key responsibilities that mathematics teachers are tasked with in order to present learning opportunities to the students. The…

This qualitative case study conducted at a small private university in the U.S. found that preservice teacher self-efficacy increased over the course of four semesters when taught inquiry-based instruction from a Social Constructivist Theoretical framework. This study utilized "A Draw a Science Teacher Test Checklist (DASTT-C)" created…

Elementary teachers face the challenging task of meeting state curriculum standards while at the same time attempting to expand ideas that are inclusive of the wider world. True inquiry is "experienced when those involved [do] not know the answers that lay at the end of their exploration". Guiding children into true inquiry is difficult…