Gifted students' often go unchallenged in the classroom, and this lack of tailored instruction can lead to decreased motivation, which, in turn, influences underachievement, which is a significant concern since these children, theoretically, should be our highest achievers. This 4-week (i.e., eight instructional days) semi-randomized,…

The sentiment that creativity is the most important skill needed to solve the problems that we face is repeated by different business and industry leaders around the world (Bronson & Merryman, 2010; NEA, n.d.; Nussbaum et al., 2005; Sammio, 2017). The call for creativity has been amplified in response to the problems and obstacles caused by…

The purpose of this case study is to investigate the effects of an integrated curriculum with embedded sustainability themes on teaching and learning experiences at the primary school level. The researcher examined why and how the district chose to create the integrated curriculum and how the big ideas of sustainability were embedded. Through the…

There is a strong need for fifth-grade students to become proficient in mathematical problem-solving using fractional computations because it will have a lasting impact on student achievement. Traditionally, mathematics is taught inside a brick-and-mortar classroom, grounded in rote memorization of facts, rules, and formulas. In recent years, more…

In 2 experiments, I studied the effects of an Equivalence Based Instruction (EBI) math intervention on the emergence of untaught selection responses and abstraction to production responses. In Experiment I, using a multiple baseline design, I implemented the EBI intervention among a group of 17 first grade participants with varying levels of math…

There has been an increase in the mental health concerns of students of all ages over the past several years. Specifically, since COVID-19, the social and emotional needs of students at the elementary school level have become drastically more evident. This qualitative action research study aimed to understand teachers' implementation of Morning…

Computational thinking (CT) is a critical problem-solving skill that can help students be successful in school and the 21st-century workplace (Wing, 2006). This project builds on past research showing that educational robotics can be a useful and cost-effective means to teach CT to primary school students. Past research has not yet resolved…

The objective of this dissertation was to explore the paradoxical nature of Combinatorics as both a difficult and accessible domain in Mathematics, particularly for K-12 students. This paradox in Combinatorics' nature raised questions about how students interact with problems in this domain and the factors influencing their understanding and…

This study examined the feasibility of elementary classroom teachers using function-based thinking, a modified FBA process, to address mild, but persistent classroom behavior. Through a series of professional development trainings, a pretest and posttest, regular consultation meetings and feedback sessions, and repeated observations, participants…

Nature experiences have been shown to have a number of positive impacts on adults and children (Louv, 2012, Williams, 2017). These benefits include an improvement in the ability to direct one's attention, a reduction in the symptoms of stress, and an increase in creative play. Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989), Stress…

CBM for mathematics assesses growth in accuracy and fluency of basic math skills using content from a student's curriculum. CBM for mathematics can include single-skill measures (SSM), skill-based measures (SBM), and general-outcome measures (GOM). Past research on growth rates in CBM for mathematics has focused on GOMs and has relied on…

Grades 4 and 8 students had shown slow but steady improvement in scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics assessment from 1990 until 2013, but performance since then has been lower despite the introduction of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) in the early 2010s. This study examined student…

In this research study, an instructional intervention protocol is described. This intervention was designed to help teachers to engage English Learner students (ELs) in mathematical problem-solving lessons and reasoning through discourse. The "Discursive Mathematics Protocol" (DMP) integrates Polya's classic problem-solving framework and…

Learning to decode is critically important to the process of becoming literate. As such, a thorough understanding of decoding development is critical as well. Extant theories contribute to such an understanding but do not provide a complete description of decoding development; a different theory is needed to address limitations in the extant…

CAL (Computer Assisted Learning) programs are widespread today in schools and families due to the effectiveness of CAL programs in improving students' learning and task performance. The flourishing of CAL programs in education has brought large amounts of students' learning data including log data, performance data, mouse movement data, eye…