ERIC Number: ED584794
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 127
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-0-3556-8317-2
ISSN: EISSN-
EISSN: N/A
A Qualitative Case Study on Elementary Educators' Experiences with Interdisciplinary Instructional Strategies
Nugent, Amanda
ProQuest LLC, D.E. Dissertation, Capella University
Well-educated and informed elementary educators provide the highest of quality instruction to elementary students. Elementary educators are expected to provide instruction from all academic subjects throughout the school day. As standardized testing continues to be a priority in U.S. classrooms, educators must be prepared to continue to deliver quality instruction while preparing students for standardized tests simultaneously. Elementary educators often seek resourceful ways to complete the task of effectively teaching across the content areas, but they have limited time for research and professional development. One instructional format that has been identified as effective within elementary education is the interdisciplinary instructional approach. Yet there is a gap in the literature on how elementary educators report the experiences they have with the delivery of interdisciplinary instructional strategies. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate how current elementary educators' deliver interdisciplinary instructional strategies and use interdisciplinary instruction in the classroom. In this qualitative case study, data were collected from 8 semistructured interviews, 8 classroom observations, and an artifact analysis. Thematic coding was conducted by following Yin's (2015) 5-phased cycle of analysis to provide detailed results and conclusions from the collected data. The participants described their experiences on how they delivered interdisciplinary instruction through identifying techniques for initial and constant delivery of interdisciplinary instruction throughout lessons. Participants named optional activities for students to choose during interdisciplinary lessons as well as identified common integrated content areas in the classroom. Experiences with student improvement from delivering interdisciplinary instruction were also discussed and materials used for interdisciplinary lessons. When participants discussed how to consistently use interdisciplinary instruction, participants identified supportive interdisciplinary tools that help keep interdisciplinary instruction present in the curriculum throughout the school year. Overall, participants described most of their experiences with delivering and consistently using interdisciplinary instruction as positive and effective. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Qualitative Research, Case Studies, Elementary School Teachers, Interdisciplinary Approach, Teaching Methods, Semi Structured Interviews, Observation, Coding, Data Analysis, Teacher Attitudes, Student Improvement, Educational Strategies
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A