This study was designed to evaluate the effects of a Concrete Representational Abstract (CRA) instructional model on Tier 2 first-grade mathematics students in a Response to Intervention model. Twelve students were instructed three times a week using the Expeditions to Numeracy program. The Test of Early Mathematics Ability-3rd edition results overwhelmingly indicated dramatic student growth. A t-test, which included all twelve students in the study, was found to be statistically significant (t=5.79, p<.01). The effects of a CRA instructional model on students' computational fluency were measured through the use of the curriculum based assessments given weekly to all first-grade students. Only those students who had not yet met the first-grade benchmark were included in the analysis of growth over time. All intervention students showed significant growth on their CBM scores throughout the study, exceeding the recommended weekly growth of 0.35. Two-thirds of the students exceed the recommended growth by two or more points. A single-subject analysis of the CBM data all indicated the strong student growth. The analyses of the student growth on the CBMs, as well as the variables that affect this change, were also analyzed using Growth Curve Modeling. The final model of analysis indicated the treatment group's slope was statistically significantly greater than the slope for other members of the study, including those students progressing at a typical first-grade level and therefore not eligible for services. These results indicate a statistically significant affect of a CRA instructional model when used with Tier 2 students in a Response to Intervention Model on students' computational fluency and mathematical achievement. / CITE/Mathematics and Science Education

The educational plight of Latino students in the U.S. is an increasing concern given the low achievement and attainment status of this population. Although many risk factors associated with underachievement are difficult to alter, parent educational involvement has been shown to positively impact learning outcomes. In this study, parental home- and school-based involvement practices and educational aspirations were compared in a large (n = 6085), nationally representative sample of Latino (n= 1,313) and non-Latino white (n = 4,772) first grade students. The role of these forms of involvement in predicting student achievement in third grade was then assessed. Findings indicate that Latino parents had higher educational aspirations for their children but were less involved at home and school than non-Latino white parents. Multiple hierarchical regression analysis showed that socioeconomic status and parental aspirations, respectively, were the most significant predictors of achievement among Latino and non-Latino white students, even when controlling for SES. While higher levels of school-based and lower levels of home-based educational involvement significantly predicted achievement among non-Latino white students, educational participation was not predictive of achievement among Latino students. Language status served as a meaningful barrier to Latino parent involvement. Findings suggest that educators should harness Latino parents' high aspirations for their children by making greater efforts to communicate and engage them in their native language. Future research should assess non-traditional forms of Latino parents' educational involvement and explore involvement practices that are culturally sensitive and meaningful to Latino parents. / School Psychology

This study was an investigation of student beliefs about their EFL education, and it was based upon the subjective task value component of the expectancy-value theory, a prominent theory of achievement motivation. The participants were three cohorts of Japanese public elementary school students (Cohort 1 from 2008; Cohort 2 from 2009; and Cohort 3 from 2010); each cohort consisted of third through sixth graders (N = 1,478; N = 3,693; and N = 1,336, respectively). Three research questions with associated hypotheses were posited in order to determine: (a) if students of all age groups could differentiate the three value components of Enjoyment, Importance, and Use; (b) the degree to which grade levels and genders were different with regard to each value; and (c) if grade level and gender differences were consistent between cohorts. The Young Learners Value Scale (YLVS) was an 11-item, 4-point Likert self report scale created in order to investigate elementary school students' values concerning their EFL education. Prior to conducting inferential analyses on the collected data, the dimensionality, validity, and reliability of the YLVS were established through the use of the Rasch rating-scale model. In addition, the raw scores were converted into interval Rasch measures. Results of the principal components analyses showed that each grade level was able to differentiate the three values of Enjoyment, Importance, and Use. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the instrument measures as well as the factorial structure of the theoretical model were both invariant across grade level. Results of the two-way ANOVAs indicated that the third grade students valued the Enjoyment, Importance, and Use of English to a statistically significant higher degree than the higher grade levels. Descriptive statistics showed that all grade levels valued the Enjoyment and Importance of English, yet all grade levels responded neutrally to the Use of English. With regard to gender, female students held statistically significant greater values of Enjoyment, Importance, and Use of English and their EFL class than boys, yet these differences were found for only Cohorts 2 and 3. This study was the first, to the best of my knowledge, to use the expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation as a basis for an investigation of public school EFL students. The results indicated that the elementary school students valued the Enjoyment and Importance of English, but were neutral to the Use of English. The integration of more skill-based activities that focus on listening to English and speaking in English to communicate to others and a reduction in fun-focused activities such as songs and games might provide a greater opportunity to enhance the students' value of Use. / CITE/Language Arts

ABSTRACT The goal of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the perception that exists for fourteen Jamaican instructional leaders as they integrate Tablet Computers (TCs) into the pedagogical process to prepare grade four students for the Grade Four Literacy Test (G4LT). The research was conducted in four schools; three rural primary schools in the parishes of Trelawny, Manchester and St Elizabeth and an urban primary school in Kingston. The focal group comprised four principals, three vice principals, three grade four coordinators and four grade four teachers from the scope of schools that were piloting the Tablet in School (TIS) initiative. Structured interviews and observation were used as data sources. Findings from the data revealed that the instructional leaders, while receptive to the initiative of utilizing the TCs in the pedagogical process, were unable to speak to how effective its usage was in preparing students for the G4LT. Furthermore, although the devices were somewhat facilitated in the teaching and learning process, the majority of instructional leaders did not use them to teach the components of the examination. Finally, results suggested that the usage of the TC as an instructional tool had encouraged more favourable responses from students in the classroom learning environment. As the first study to investigate the integration of TC to teach literacy in the Jamaican Primary Classroom, the current study provided novel insights and a springboard for more qualitative investigations into this particular phenomenon. It is also anticipated that the emerging data will influence and inform decision making within the Ministry of Education (MoE). / Educational Leadership

This quantitative study examined the impact, if any, of two general co-teaching models on the academic achievement of all of the fourth-grade students in a small suburban elementary school district. It addressed co-teaching methods as possible supports to improve literacy gains for all elementary school students. The researcher investigated the effectiveness of two general co-teaching models, each of which employed some form of parallel or supportive teaching strategies. These interventions were measured by the Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) tests, which are state-aligned, computerized, adaptive tests that reflect the achievement level of each student and measure growth over time. Fourth grade students were tested in the Fall 2008, then tested again, in Spring 2009. Their academic growth in literacy was evaluated via repeated measures analysis of variance. The data were disaggregated by gender, race, socio-economic status, and ability level. Comparisons were made as to the effectiveness of the co-teaching models, and, if evident, which interventions were most effective based on the disaggregated data. / Educational Administration

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a one-semester combined mathematics content/methods course based on Simon's (1994) Learning Cycle framework for the mathematical preparation of preservice elementary teachers was more effective at aligning preservice teachers' beliefs with the philosophy of the Standards documents (NCTM, 1989, 1991, 1995, 2000) and other reform literature than another content/methods course. While the six-cycled Learning Cycles framework has been used in separate content and methods courses (Simon, 1995), it has not been used in a combined content/methods setting. The preservice teachers enrolled in two sections of the course Teaching Math to Children: N-6 were involved in the study with one section investigating the topics measurement, geometry and fractions using the Learning Cycles framework while the other section used a different framework to investigate number concepts and place value; addition and subtraction strategies; multiplication and division strategies; geometry and spatial sense; ratio, proportion, percent, similarity and scale; and probability, counting techniques and statistics. Beliefs about the nature, teaching and learning of mathematics were measured both quantitatively and qualitatively. All participants' beliefs were assessed quantitatively at the beginning and the end of the course using a beliefs instrument with three subscales that measured beliefs about the nature, teaching and learning of mathematics. Five preservice teachers from the Learning Cycles course served as case studies and provided qualitative data through interviews and journal prompts. Analyses of Covariance were calculated for course of enrollment and each of the three beliefs subscales. For beliefs about the nature of mathematics, there was a significant difference between the adjusted post-test scores of the Learning Cycles group and the comparison group favoring the Learning Cycles group. Similar results were found regarding beliefs about the teaching of mathematics. While significant differences were found between the groups with regards to beliefs about the learning of mathematics, the scores on the corresponding subscale changed only slightly. Qualitative analyses confirmed the findings regarding the beliefs about the nature and teaching of mathematics. Differences were also found in the preservice teachers' beliefs about learning mathematics. The case study participants attributed certain characteristics of the course with their changing beliefs. These results indicate that the Learning Cycles course was somewhat successful at aligning preservice teachers' beliefs with those of the reform movement. / CITE/Mathematics and Science Education

This study incorporated an intervention that combined discussion and sentence writing to promote vocabulary development. Fourth grade students were assigned to either an intervention or control condition. Teachers in the intervention classrooms used a word learning protocol that was designed to provide students with student-friendly definitions and a minimum of 15 exposures to each target word through both receptive and expressive tasks. These tasks called upon students to begin to make connections between spontaneous and scientific concepts to support their word learning. Teachers in control classrooms followed instructional routines as specified in their school’s reading series. Multiple choice assessments from the district adopted reading series for vocabulary and comprehension along with a researcher-developed sentence writing task were used to measure growth in word knowledge. On the multiple choice vocabulary assessment, the intervention group outperformed the control group on one of the three weekly assessments from the reading series. There were no differences in comprehension scores on weekly reading tests across groups. On the sentence writing task, results indicated that the intervention group outperformed the control group with the intervention group showing a statistically significant difference in the rate at which they learned words. / Literacy & Learners

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