This quantitative descriptive and correlational study aimed to explore elementary teacher beliefs about mathematics and its relationship with instructional practices. The Constructivist Learning Theory and the Guiding Principles for School Mathematics provided the theoretical framework for the study. Descriptive and correlational research…

Science education literature calls for students' participation in science practices through ongoing collective sensemaking built on coherence from the student perspective. However, few studies systematically consider students' point of view and there is little guidance for how teachers can lead the class to co-construct specified learning goals…

Students' social and emotional learning (SEL) skills have been linked to positive behavioral and academic outcomes for students. Responsive Classroom is an evidence-based SEL program that promotes academic, social, and emotional growth of students through the implementation of student-centered practices designed to create engaging and nurturing…

Although everybody learns at their own pace, the traditional, standardized education system remains prevalent. Unfortunately, this traditional system does not meet all learner needs and results in low academic achievement as demonstrated by state and national standardized tests (Netcoh, 2017; Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2019c; Schwahn…

This mixed methods study explored how elementary teachers reported using a commercially published instructional unit to plan and deliver science instruction in their elementary classrooms. Of particular focus is what elements of the program teachers eliminated during planning and instruction, what outside materials teachers added to instruction,…

Many students at the Valley View Primary School (pseudonym) in the Caribbean are not performing according to numeracy and literacy standards on national tests. Administration and teachers wanted to know why changes to formative assessment practices are not increasing students' achievement levels. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case…

Since 2016, third to fifth-grade students at a Title I elementary school have not met adequate yearly progress because 70% of students have not scored proficient on the end-of-grade mathematics assessment. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the instructional approaches that elementary school teachers use to teach mathematics…

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…

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…

With the changes in Common Core State Standards, it was essential to explore how elementary pre-service teachers' sense of fractions is developing and their thoughts about how to teach fractions. A gap in practice exists because it is unknown how pre-service elementary teachers, after student-teaching, perceive their level of in-practice knowledge…

Over 50% of K-3 students struggle with literacy skills at a southeastern Louisiana school. The issue continues despite teachers attending weekly professional development sessions to improve literacy instruction. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of K-3 teachers regarding their instructional strategies to teach students. The…

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…

Recently, attention surrounding LGBTQ+ people, perspectives, and histories in K-12 schools have been subject to renewed public debate. In 2023, state legislatures in the United States have passed more anti-queer laws than ever before, many of which target queer youth (HRC, 2023). Some of these state laws ban the teaching of and about queer people…

Children in elementary schools think, talk, and reason in big ways that reflect how they live and experience race, racism, and racialization. Some elementary school teachers -- or critical-race teacher change agents -- intentionally include this work in their classrooms. My aim is to find out what motivates critical-race teacher change agents to…

There is an increase in the identification of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) throughout the country. There is also an emphasis on inclusion within the classrooms in the country. This qualitative study addresses the need for teachers to grasp more knowledge about Autism so that they can help children with autism have better access to…