Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Psychology Educational psychology Teachers Education, Elementary'

Mindfulness is a growing topic of discussion across the United States, particularly in education. There exists an array of studies on mindfulness as an intervention used in schools to promote academic achievement and social and emotional well-being. While the research has consistently supported the benefits of mindfulness, it has not addressed its implementation into the classroom (both formally and informally) as thoroughly. Specifically, it has not examined the perceptions of those teachers that are charged with implementing this intervention into their classroom. Nor does there exist research to identify possible barriers to teachers’ implementation of mindfulness into the classroom.

In order to investigate these areas, this study employed a survey to collect data from 78 elementary school teachers from a school district in the Denver metropolitan area. The survey measured teachers’ knowledge (definition, familiarity, and use) of mindfulness, as well as their perceived barriers to its implementation. Results showed that two-thirds of teachers reported that they had somewhat of an understanding of mindfulness and were informally using it in their classroom, and that a need for training is the highest barrier to teachers’ implementation. Further research on informal mindfulness training is needed to guide future implementation efforts.

Despite growth in the elementary classroom, the level of technology adoption by some teachers falls short of levels sought by educational stakeholders. To address this disparity, the purpose of this correlational study was to identify if, and to what extent, a correlation exists between elementary teachers’ adult playfulness factor levels and their attitude toward technology in the teaching-learning process. The theoretical lenses of the technology acceptance model and the five-factor model of personality guided the research. A convenience sample of 106 teachers was drawn from California educational organizations who permitted their in-service kindergarten through fifth grade teachers to be invited to complete a web-based, self-reported survey. A significant, negative correlation was observed between the playfulness factor of creativity and teachers’ attitude toward technology in the teaching-learning process at the .05 error probability level (r_s = -.20, p = .040), but not significant at the Benjamini-Hochberg correction critical value of .01, nor significant at the Bonferroni corrected error probability level of .01. Although no significant relationships between the variables were found, administrators and staff developers may find the potential relationship between an aspect of personality and technology attitude helpful in encouraging increased levels of technology adoption by considering teachers’ personal characteristics. Opportunities for future research and practice are discussed.

The percentage of male teachers is at its lowest number in 40 years. The problem is that fewer males are choosing elementary teaching as a career choice. As a result, many elementary students rarely see a male teacher during their formative education years. This issue is a concern for superintendents, college of education deans, recruiters, school administrators, and parents whose children are not being exposed to a diverse teacher workforce that includes male elementary teachers. The purpose of this study was to better define and understand the unique experiences of male elementary teachers in today's classroom. The conceptual framework for the study incorporated Levinson's adult male development theory, Palmer's teaching landscape, and Mezirow's transformative learning theory. This qualitative study investigated the experience of 6 male elementary teachers in 3 different school districts in a southeastern state. This study followed Moustakas's phenomenological method utilizing criterion sampling. Data were collected, analyzed, and coded for preliminary categories and themes. Four themes emerged: (1) male role modeling, (2) readying students, (3) establishing mentoring relationships, and (4) mattering. The findings show that male elementary teachers are a crucial voice for some students, and they fulfill a needed role in the elementary school. This study addresses positive social change by providing a voice for the male elementary teacher, a diminishing but important teaching population, while also illustrating how the male elementary teacher's presence in the classroom can serve as a positive role model, mentor, and diverse elementary learning experience for the children.

The purpose of this study was to provide an insight into the perspectives that teachers have on the barriers that prevent parental involvement in the classroom. Four qualitative questions formed the foundation of this study: 1. What are teachers’ perceptions regarding barriers to parental involvement in the school? 2. How does parental involvement in the school influence the parent-teacher relationship? 3. What efforts are teachers taking to incorporate parental involvement within the schools? And 4. What recommendations would teachers suggest to better incorporate parents into their child’s educational programming? Participants in this study were elementary teachers who have had at least three or more years of teaching experience. To collect data, semi-structured face-to-face interviews that lasted approximately half an hour were used. Three themes emerged from the interviews: 1) Barriers of Parental Involvement, 2) Strategies for Communication, and 3) Recommendations for Parental Involvement.

This study employed a quantitative, ex-post facto non-experimental design to examine the effect of whether teaching honors, regular, or special education classes in either an elementary or middle school setting influenced the experience of teacher burnout. Participants included 69 teachers from two counties in a Southern state. The study survey consisted of one measure: Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educator Survey (MBI-ES). A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed that there was no significant main effect for both teacher specialty and grade-level taught in regard to the experience of teacher burnout on the MBI-ES. Additionally, when both teacher specialty and grade-level taught were looked at separately in regard to the experience of teacher burnout, there was no main effect. Educational leaders at both the district as well as the school level may use these results to provide in-service training to help teachers develop coping techniques to deal with the experience of burnout symptoms. Furthermore, this study suggests recommendations for future research in the area of teacher burnout such as use of a mixed method research design as well as the inclusion of high school teachers.

Mindfulness practices, used to focus and sustain attention, have been shown to promote school readiness, and to positively impact students' academic success. Yet, incorporating these practices into the normal school day has been difficult due to the curriculum changes and teacher training necessary for implementation and sustainable operation. This study utilized a quasi-randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, to measure the effects of a mindfulness program on student grades, on teaching operations, and on teacher mindfulness and stress. The program consisted of 90 audio-guided tracks, each 10 minutes in length. The automated delivery system, via an MP3 player and docking station, offered both students and teachers the opportunity to consistently participate in mindfulness practices each school day without impacting teaching operations. A total of 337 students in 2 schools participated in this study. There was a significant mindfulness intervention effect on students' grade point average (GPA) changes in School A (N = 131), between the treatment (n = 64, M = 2.7995, SD = 3.13), and control (n = 67, M = .0448, SD = 2.61) groups; t(129) = 5.48, p < .001 (2-tailed), 99% CI [1.76, 3.75], d = .96. In school B, (N = 206), there was a near significant mindfulness intervention effect on GPA changes between the treatment ( n = 103, M = .0357, SD = .065) and control (n = 103, M = .0091, SD = .126) group; t(204) = 1.91, p = .058 (2-tailed), 95% CI [-.001, .054], d = .27. These results suggest that a daily audio-guided mindfulness practice can positively impact student grades across all subjects with less than 1 hour of teacher training and with no changes to the existing curriculum.

This study sought to better understand the phenomenon of Math anxiety as experienced by female elementary school teachers, teaching grades 2-5. Using qualitative research methods to collect and analyze data, ten participants were recruited for open-ended interviews designed to collect data in the form of verbatim statements. The analysis of this data resulted in qualitative descriptions of the lived experience of Math anxiety by focusing on what Math anxiety is and how it precipitates. In addition, a description of the meaning and essence of Math anxiety was constructed. Results of this study include teachers' descriptions of factors they associate with Math anxiety including frequently changing Mathematics curriculums, student and parental issues, mandatory statewide online Mathematical assessments, teacher evaluations that require statewide student Mathematical assessment scores and parental input, and budgetary decisions adversely affecting students and faculty. Participants described time restrictions, painful past memories, feelings of Mathematical inadequacy, and Mathematics/gender issues. In addition, participants described how Math anxiety may decrease with humor, greater Mathematical experience, and/or by understanding Mathematics on deeper levels due to the newly adopted Common Core Mathematical Standards. Up until the completion of this dissertation, the researcher has not been able to locate any studies describing the lived experience of Math anxiety in female elementary school teachers. Through the voices of the teachers themselves, it is hoped that this novel approach may increase the understanding of Math anxiety for educators, parents, students, administrators, and researchers.

Many educational researchers have advocated for the inclusion of prosocial behavior instruction and practice in K5 public schools along with rigorous academic knowledge. Empathy is considered a foundational social emotional skill, vital for school and life. There is positive correlation between the inclusion of empathy instruction and practice in the classroom with increased prosocial skills, school climate, and engagement. The purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological study was to explore working elementary teacher perceptions of empathy instruction and practice in K5 classrooms in the Northwest United States to better understand the essence of what teachers believed to be the current situation regarding administrative support, resources, and teacher skill and knowledge related to empathy instruction and practice in the classroom. The problem was that many K5 teachers did not include explicit instruction of empathy in the classroom, even though effective empathy instruction and modeling has been shown to improve academic achievement scores, improve teacher measures of positive social emotional behaviors, and decrease negative antisocial behaviors. This qualitative interpretive phenomenological study explored practicing teacher perceptions of empathy instruction and practice in K5 classrooms in Northwestern Oregon through in-depth interviews, non-verbal communication observation notes, and researcher reflection journal. NVivo 11 software was used to analyze themes, with validation of data collection and analysis by member checking of individual data and analysis offered to participants. Study results may advance the understanding of factors that inhibit or enhance teachers’ ability to teach and practice empathy in the classroom, and aid in the development of empathy instruction and practice methods, designs, and professional development.

Bullying behaviors among primary school-aged children are underreported, which communicates to the children that the issue is not important to the adults who should be promoting a safe and healthy environment. The purpose of this qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of a purposeful sample of 15 fourth- and fifth-grade elementary teachers concerning the possible effect of Bernstein’s Artful Learning™ Model strategies (an arts integration program) on bullying behaviors of fourth- and fifth-grade students at an arts magnate school. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 15 fourth- and fifth-grade teachers, using an interview guide with open-ended questions, about their perceptions of bullying at the research site and the effects of Bernstein’s Artful Learning™ model on bullying behaviors. The study results indicated use of the model has the potential to help deter bullying behaviors. Participants believed the model’s community-building component and strategies helped decrease bullying and aggressive behaviors. This study provides educational leaders with a demonstration the efficacy of an arts-integration program in deterring bullying behaviors among elementary students.

Self-efficacy affects the way a person decides to live his or her life. Efficacy can dictate whether a person takes a risk, can influence personal and professional goals, and can determine what a person does when failure arises. Strong self-efficacy includes perseverance, motivation, and courage to try an unfamiliar path. In education, efficacy is imbedded in a school environment. The areas of efficacy that co-exist in an educational setting are teacher efficacy, collective efficacy, and student efficacy. The focus of this study is the influence instructional coaching has on teacher efficacy and how that efficacy affects student achievement. Research indicates that there is a relationship between teacher efficacy and student achievement. The question is whether teacher efficacy is influenced by support from an instructional coach in a school setting. In this mixed methods study there were many indications to support the need for instructional coaching in an efficacious school system. Themes found in the interviews and teacher reflections indicated a strong need for effective school leadership, strong professional learning communities, supportive grade level teams, and instructional support found within an instructional coach. Use of the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale along with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed the positive effects instructional coaching had on the instructional efficacy of the participants involved in this study. Finally, a paired samples t-test showed evidence of student achievement being affected by the support teachers received from the instructional coach. These topics remain relevant to the challenges facing teachers today who need ongoing instructional support to help them with implementation of state and federal mandates and educational standards.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is the most frequently diagnosed psychiatric disorder among children (APA, 2000). This information is especially relevant to teachers in the elementary school population where this disorder is often first evidenced (Wilens, Faraone, Biederman, & Gunawardene, 2003). Individuals with AD/HD frequently experience significant difficulty meeting social/emotional, academic, and behavioral expectations.

Even with the high prevalence and significance of AD/HD, very little research has investigated teachers' knowledge of AD/HD or defined a protocol for quickly updating teachers' knowledge of this subject. In particular, there is limited literature examining primary-school teachers' overall knowledge in this area (Kos, Richdale, & Jackson, 2004).

This study developed and assessed the effectiveness of a 45 minute on-line accelerated AD/HD training developed for elementary school teachers. This on-line Accelerated Elementary School Professional Development AD/HD Training was geared towards educators who have some basic knowledge and experiences with children who have AD/HD but who have been unable to keep abreast of new findings regarding AD/HD and associated gender, culture, and environmental factors.

Training effectiveness was assessed by comparing results obtained in on-line pre and post training testing as well as by assessing responses to 11 post training "interview questions". The basic assessment instrument used was the Knowledge of Attention Deficit Disorders Survey (KADDS). Each training participant completed a Descriptive Demographics Questionnaire which was correlated with their KADDS' test results.

Analysis of participants' responses to the KADDS questions, across the three categories of knowledge reflected in the KADDS, combined with a qualitative assessment of responses to the Post Training Interview Questions, support the conclusion that the study was able to assess the effectiveness of the 45 minute Accelerated Elementary School Professional Development AD/HD Training (herein referred to as the "Accelerated AD/HD Training"). This training was developed to increase teachers' awareness of their significant role in the early identification of children at risk for AD/HD and to equip them with general knowledge of AD/HD as well as its symptoms and interventions. The training provides essential information regarding gender, cultural and environmental considerations as they impact presentations of AD/HD. As part of this study, strengths and weakness of the training were identified and recommendations were provided to address specific training weaknesses as well as KADDS shortfalls in the areas of AD/HD knowledge relating to gender, culture, and environmental factors. This study is one of the first to demonstrate that a web-based medium can quickly improve the AD/HD knowledge of elementary school teachers.

Following implementation of noted training improvements, the protocol may serve as a model for development of future AD/HD trainings and also specifically address the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Recommendations were also made regarding possible future studies. The studies identified are based upon observations made during this study and teachers' responses to Post Training Interview Questions.

The war on terror after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, continues to include ongoing efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries in which the military serve and protect. Active-duty members of the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard continue to serve in these hazardous zones to minimize war crimes where families are left behind. With the necessity of military deployments, issues of psychological, emotional, and behavioral tribulations surrounding the children of deployed active-duty members are observed. The purpose of the qualitative study was to explore schoolteacher’s perceptions about effective actions taken to enhance the performance of children and the classroom environment, while the children were coping with their active-duty parent’s deployment. The sample included elementary schoolteachers and administrators that taught in the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) in Belgium who have had parents of their students deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other hazardous zone areas. The research question asked: When observed behaviors are identified in relation to parental deployment, how do effective actions taken mitigate behavioral problems and enhance the classroom learning environment? The qualitative explorative case study aided in identifying and understanding schoolteachers’ perceptions about effective actions taken to enhance the performance of children and the classroom environment while children were coping with their active-duty parent’s deployment. This critical situation for children showed stressful and coping challenges and an imposed hardship on the children’s customary way of living and participation in the school environment.