Browsing by Subject "Education, Elementary -- Research"
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Item Collaborative Planning: Methods and Challenges for Elementary School Teachers(2014-05) Machin, Sarah; Masters of EducationThe purpose of this study was to examine the collaborative planning methods and challenges of elementary school teachers. Interviews with 18 educators from a suburban school were conducted to analyze planning collaboratively from the perspective of classroom teachers. Each grade level was interviewed as a team and asked a series of questions. Following each interview, answers were transcribed and analyzed for themes. Common themes emerged from the interviews and were then identified with the use of a table. Most teams agreed that collaborative planning involved sharing ideas and resources so that standards taught were consistent and student achievement would improve. Teachers from each grade level agreed that this consistency did not impact individual teaching styles. While many teams recognized the benefits of regular team planning, all teams concluded that finding the time to plan was the biggest challenge and impacted their ability to plan together regularly. All teams communicated on a daily basis in a variety of ways, but very few teams actually participated in formal collaborative planning. Further research and interviews are needed in the area of collaborative planning to draw conclusions about the methods and challenges elementary school teachers face.Item The Effect of Exercise on the Behavior of Elementary School Students(2013-05) Berkey, Matthew; Masters of EducationThe purpose of this study was to discover if a moderate to vigorous physical activity program would have an impact on the behavior of elementary school students. The measurement tool was the number of formal behavior referrals during the two hour time period after the intervention was given. This study involved use of a pretest and posttest design to measure the behavior referral data that was collected. Results showed no significant difference between student referrals prior to the intervention and student referrals after the intervention. Research in this area should continue as there is very little information available regarding participation in physical activity programs and their effects on behavior.Item The Effect of Physical Activity on Maladaptive Behaviors in a Behavior Learning Support (BLS) Classroom(2014-07) Paradis, Alexander; Masters of EducationThe purpose of this study was to determine if antecedent physical activity would impact the prevalence of maladaptive behaviors in a behavior support elementary classroom (n = 6). The measurement tool was a behavioral point sheet that provided behavioral scores for each participant in the study. This study used a pre-experimental design with a variant of a one-group pretest-posttest design to compare pre-intervention baseline data to post-intervention data. There was no significant difference in the Behavioral Score of students during the baseline period (Mean = 92.40, SD = 4.32) and during the intervention period (Mean = 91.24, SD = 5.42)[t(5) = .61, p > .05]. Researchers should continue to study the effects of antecedent physical activity as maladaptive behaviors become an increasing concern for classroom teachers.Item The Effects of a Positive Behavior Intervention System on Elementary School Office Referrals and Suspensions(2011-05) Royce, Kristin; Masters of EducationA Positive Behavior Intervention System is one which is implemented in order to teach and reward desirable student behaviors as well as train the school staff on the expected behaviors. It also aims to create a more harmonious school environment by decreasing the number of negative infractions by students, in turn lowering office referral and suspension rates. This study took place in a lower middle-class elementary school during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years. The study aims to determine whether there is a relationship between the implementation of a Positive Behavior Intervention System and student office referral data. Student referral data from the 2010-2011 school year was compared to office referral and suspension data from the 2009-2010 school year. While there was a significant decrease in both violent and nonviolent office referrals in the 2010-2011 school year and year one of the Positive Behavior Intervention System at this school, there was a significant increase in suspension rates.Item The Effects of Readers Theater Practice on the Oral Reading Fluency Levels of Lower Achieving First Grade Title I Students(2010-05) Clark, Emily; Masters of EducationThe purpose of this study was to determine whether daily use of Readers Theater practice would increase the Oral Reading Fluency levels of lower achieving Title I students to a greater degree than that demonstrated by students who did not receive daily practice. The measurement tool was the Oral Reading Fluency portion of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessment. This study involved the use of a pretest/posttest design to compare data from January, 2010 to March, 2010. The hypothesis of this study was supported by the results showing a significant difference between the performance of students receiving Readers Theater practice and those not receiving such practice on the DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency assessment pretest and posttest. Research in the area of Readers Theater practice should continue given the lack of fluency instruction in the classroom and the important relationship between reading fluency and reading comprehension. Suggestions for future research include providing a longer implementation timeframe, using smaller, leveled groups, adding a comprehension check to the daily practice, and using a different comprehension assessment.Item The Relationship Between Recess and the Behavior of 5th Grade Students(2010-05) Slaughter, Michael; Masters of EducationThe purpose of this study was to determine whether 5th grade students exhibit fewer inappropriate behaviors, as measured by the number of behavior levels they are assigned for inappropriate behaviors, before or after recess. According to the school behavior plan, levels are assigned based on behavioral infractions. Three 5th grade teachers recorded times when levels were given for each individual student (n=65) on the Weekly Behavior Logs. The average number of levels received per student in the 90 minutes before recess was compared to the average number of levels received per student in the 90 minutes after recess. Data was collected over a 10-day period. The difference in the average number of behavior levels assigned before recess (Mean = .52, SD = .90) and after recess (Mean = .29, SD = .70) was statistically significant [t (64) = 2.07, p<.05], with a greater number of levels assigned before recess. Results were affected by various factors including a shortened duration of the study and variability in indoor and outdoor recess due to inclement weather. In addition to a longer study, more research on the relationship between recess and behavior is needed to increase the validity of findings in this study.