Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This study investigated the ways in which teachers differentiate instruction to meet individual students' literacy needs. Specific questions related to planning, grouping, instruction, and monitoring were considered. Case studies of two teams of teachers in two classrooms in an urban elementary school were conducted. Three focal children, identified as low, average, or high performers, were shadowed by observers for 16 hours over 8 days. The teachers were interviewed before, during, and after the study and classroom artifacts were collected. Data analysis yielded eight findings in two categories (grouping practices and instruction) for the first-grade classroom and six findings in two categories (grouping practices and instruction) for the second-grade classroom. First, teachers used all forms of grouping routinely and flexibly throughout the day and week. Second, in the first-grade classroom, the change in group membership varied according to type, while in the second grade classroom the change was dictated by student need. Third, in both classrooms, teacher's decisions about grouping arrangements were made on the basis of: grade level curriculum or content, and observation of individual needs. In the second-grade classroom, teacher's decisions were also made on the availability of personnel. Fourth, in the first grade classroom, students' decisions about grouping arrangements were made on the basis of: (I) environment created by the teacher, (2) student choice or interest, (3) availability of books/materials, and ( 4) availability of time. In the first-grade classroom, children at all levels received equal teacher time. Instruction in word level and comprehension strategies were balanced across performance levels. Finally, instruction was modified by explicitness of directions, expectations for independent work, and/or teacher support. In the second-grade classroom, instructional time and instructional focus varied among performance levels. Children who struggled received increased emphasis on word level knowledge. Finally, instruction was modified by explicitness of directions, expectations for independent work, and/or teacher support. Limitations include the inability of the researcher to observe and describe the literacy instruction provided outside the scheduled literacy block. / 2031-01-01

<p> This research examined the level of purpose development amongst Montessori sixth graders through the use of an in-person, paper-and-pencil survey, the RYPS (Bundick et al., 2006). It is suggested that Montessori students are highly prepared to consider their purpose in life as defined by Damon and colleagues (2003) because of the values of Cosmic Education. Survey responses were counted and averaged using an on-line spreadsheet program. The sample was found to be purposeful at a higher rate, 34%, than other samples (Damon, 2008; Moran, 2009), and 54% espoused a sense of purpose. It is concluded that adults seeking to educate young people for purpose development examine the uses and benefits of Montessori education.</p><p>

<p> The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District has engaged its staff members in various professional learning sessions related to race equity and culturally relevant pedagogy for almost 20 years. Despite these efforts, an academic achievement gap persists in math and reading between white students and students of color1. This qualitative study will focus on four teachers at one of the district&rsquo;s eleven elementary schools, examining their perceptions of such professional learning opportunities as well as the culturally relevant pedagogical practices they identify as implementing during instruction. Additionally, this research will include observation of interactions and analysis of classroom discourse in each teacher&rsquo;s setting. This study will contribute to the current bodies of literature related to institutional racism in public schools, culturally relevant pedagogy, and classroom discourse analysis. It will further propose actions for bridging future professional learning opportunities into classroom practice as a means to close the academic achievement gap between different racial groups. </p><p>

<p> Innovative instructional strategies, including online and blended learning, are meeting the needs of an increasingly technological environment. While effective in higher and secondary education, these approaches have not been adequately studied at the elementary level. This quantitative study was to understand whether differences existed in PARCC 2015 scores based on instructional modality, and the interaction between gender and instructional modality among fourth and fifth grade students. Using an ANOVA, the first main effect of modality was significant at the 95% confidence level, <i>F</i>(1, 166) = 7.05, <i>p</i> = .009, &eta;_p² = 0.04, indicating significant differences in 170 PARCC math scores by modality. This indicated a positive medium effect with the scores significantly higher in the traditional classroom modality (<i>M</i>= 743.29, <i> SD</i>= 25.11) than in the blended earning classroom modality (<i> M</i>=731.74, <i>SD</i>= 33.20). The second main effect, gender, was not significant at the 95% confidence level, <i>F</i>(1, 166) = 1.47, <i>p</i> = .227, indicating no significant differences in 170 PARCC math scores by gender. Finally, the interaction effect between modality and gender was not significant at the 95% confidence level, <i> F</i>(1, 166) = 0.01, <i>p</i> = .928, indicating that a medium effect of modality type on 170 math scores did not differ by gender. Additionally, the researcher explored the effects of separating by grade level. Using an ANCOVA, the researcher compared PARCC math scores and separate grade levels, since both fourth graders and fifth graders were included in the sample. Results of the ANCOVA indicated that in a test of effects by grade level, <i> F</i>(1, 165) = .620, and <i>p</i> = .432, a medium effect of grade level on 170 math scores held no statistical significance.</p><p>

Cette recherche visait à analyser le processus d'élaboration et de mise oeuvre de la politique d'éducation dans son aspect du genre à l'école primaire au Rwanda. De tradition qualitative, c'est une étude de cas effectuée dans deux écoles primaires au moyen de l'analyse documentaire, l'observation non-participante et les entrevues semi-structurées. Les faibles performances scolaires des filles, la supériorité numérique des femmes due au génocide de 1994 au Rwanda et le courant de la scolarisation primaire universelle ont influencé l'élaboration de cette politique dont les énoncés semblent utopiques et ambitieux. Malgre les sensibilisations et les récompenses aux meilleures performantes filles, les filles enregistrent encore de faibles résultats suite aux sollicitations aux travaux ménagers, à la pauvreté des ménages et aux croyances culturelles des parents. Pour l'atteinte des objectifs de cette politique, il faudrait bien la diffuser entre acteurs, élaborer les guides de sensibilisation et éradiquer la pauvreté dans les ménages.

<p> This paper examines the use of Khan Academy as a supplement to the math curriculum in a 5th grade elementary classroom. This is a qualitative case study in which the following research questions were asked: 1) What can Khan Academy do (and not do) for the students in my 5th grade classroom? and 2) What are the implications of using Khan Academy as a resource in my 5th grade classroom? Participants included students in a 5th grade classroom in an upper Midwestern elementary school. Over the course of approximately six weeks, Khan Academy was implemented into the math instruction block as one of two rotations following whole group instruction. Data was collected and triangulated from the following three sources and subsequently analyzed: direct observations, Khan Academy student progress reports, and focus group interviews. Data analysis revealed positive and negative outcomes, including student enjoyment of the gamification of the website, but also at times disengaged students who were passively receiving information with little opportunity for their own practice. This paper offers suggestions for more effective classroom implementation and implications for its use.</p><p>

<p> Recently in education, a new trend called flexible seating has emerged. Classrooms with flexible seating are redesigned to have a &ldquo;Starbucks&rdquo; atmosphere where students choose from a variety of alternative seating options and workspaces rather than sit at traditional desks. This study looks at the advantages and disadvantages of having flexible seating in an elementary classroom and determines what implications there are for teachers considering this type of arrangement. It also provides insight into how those involved in the classroom are experiencing flexible seating. Using teacher interviews, classroom observations, and student surveys, this mixed methods case study describes two 5^th grade teachers and their classrooms&rsquo; flexible seating experiences. Based on the results of the study, the researcher advises teachers to let the nature of the task determine the classroom seating arrangement. In addition, she suggests providing alternative seating devices for students regardless of the arrangement chosen as they allow for more movement throughout the day. And lastly, the researcher encourages teachers to consider their own teaching style and preferences when choosing an arrangement because they will be most effective when the classroom is arranged in a way that is pleasing and comfortable to them as well.</p><p>

<p> Scores on a state comprehensive assessment test showed that writing skills of 4th grade students enrolled in a K-8 magnet school in the southeastern part of the United States were below target. The assistant principal of the K-8 magnet school explained that a review of 3-year longitudinal data revealed that the number of students who met proficiency for the 4th grade writing assessment decreased by 1% each year. The purpose of this case study was to gain an understanding from teachers about the best practices on how to improve students&rsquo; writing skills. Denzin and Lincoln&rsquo;s constructivist theoretical concepts of accommodation and assimilation of learning were the basis of the conceptual framework. The research focused on how 3rd and 4th grade magnet school teachers described best practices to improve their students&rsquo; writing skills. Data were gathered from three sources: (a) semistructured interviews with 5, 3rd grade and 5, 4th grade literacy teachers, (b) review of 10 lesson plans and 10 students&rsquo; writing samples, and (c) 10 classroom observations. Based on the findings from the data, the following themes led to the professional development training: (a) oral activities to discuss as a class, (b) group discussions to gather feedback, (c) feedback to monitor progress, and (d) corrections. This professional development training is intended to strengthen the participating teachers&rsquo; abilities to improve the writing skills of their students. The implications for positive social change is training teachers how to effectively instruct diverse elementary students to communicate effectively in writing.</p><p>

In a move to address the persistently low literacy levels of primary schoolchildren, in 2009, the Jamaican Ministry of Education reclassified the Grade-4 Literacy Test (GFLT) to high stakes. Since then, students must pass the GFLT before they can be promoted to high school. In this thesis, I focused on students who failed their initial attempt at the test and retook it the following year. Then, I investigated the relationships between the probability of ultimately becoming eligible for promotion to high school, on the retake of the GFLT, and selected important child and school characteristics, including: student gender, school type, school examination-cohort size, and the socioeconomic level of the schools. To supplement and enrich the descriptive statistical analyses, I also included interviews and focus groups with a small sample of students, parents, and educators at three public-primary schools, in which they discussed their experiences with the GFLT. In the quantitative analyses, I used data on 15,287 students in 758 public-primary schools, who retook the GFLT in school year 2010/11. I used random-intercepts multilevel modeling to investigate the student recovery rate (probability of ultimately becoming eligible for promotion to high school) as a function of the selected student- and school-level variables. I found that recovery rates were modest, generally showing that 7 to 17 percent of students who had initially failed the GFLT were able to become eligible for promotion. I also found a consistent gender disparity in recovery rates, against boys, and found that students in small schools had lower probabilities of becoming eligible for promotion to high school than did their peers in larger schools, with the effect being particularly pronounced in schools in high-SES districts. Finally, even though no measures of student language were included in the provided administrative datasets that were the basis of my quantitative analyses, my qualitative interviews with participants suggested that students might be underperforming on the GFLT because their first language is Jamaican Creole. This is an ongoing debate in the country.

Nombreuses parutions traitant de la formation à l'enseignement de part et d'autre de l'Atlantique, ont permis de repérer quatre paramètres permettant de structurer les cursus de formation initiale à l'enseignement primaire dans une visée professionnelle. Par une analyse des représentations de formatrices et de formateurs oeuvrant au niveau de l'approche transversale dans trois institutions situées dans des contextes culturels différents, soit la France, l'Ontario et la Suisse, le présent projet s'attache à comprendre d'une part, comment ces derniers vivent les nouvelles tendances et restructurations qui s'opèrent en formation à l'enseignement en ce qui a trait à leur rôle, leur programme et leurs pratiques et comment ils donnent sens à leurs actes de formation. D'autre part, ce projet vise à découvrir dans quelle mesure les spécificités éducatives qui sont liées à l'histoire et à la culture propres à chaque pays et province, peuvent induire des façons autres de se représenter les programmes, dispositifs et démarches de formation. Dans cette optique, une série d'entretiens a été menée dans chaque site auprès des formatrices et formateurs. Les résultats obtenus montrent que les invariants émergeant de cette recherche sont relativement rares tant au plan des unités de sens émises qu'au niveau des personnes impliquées. Certes on constate qu'une majorité de participantes et participants issus des trois cultures, se représente les démarches comme étant plutôt socioconstructivistes et décrit l'attitude de la clientèle étudiante d'une manière relativement similaire, à savoir que celle-ci adopte une posture passive de consommateurs et demandeurs de recettes. Cependant, au regard de l'ensemble des catégories et sous-catégories étudiées, ces invariants semblent tout de même passablement limités. Ces constatations semblent dès lors soulever comme hypothèse qu'en dépit des nombreuses publications parues en faveur d'une restructuration de la formation initiale aux fins d'un accroissement de la professionnalisation, les spécificités éducatives qui sont fortement tributaires de l'histoire et de la culture de chacun des lieux impliqués, influent à degrés divers sur les façons de se représenter les rôles, les démarches et les programmes de formation. Ceci permet donc de questionner les possibilités réelles d'éclatement des frontières territoriales et de transcendance des diversités culturelles qui s'offrent depuis l'avènement des TIC.