An adapted alternating treatments design was used to compare the effects of class-wide applications of Taped Problems (TP) and Explicit Timing (ET) interventions on digits correct per minute (DCPM) scores. The study also investigated whether initial fluency scores would differentiate intervention effectiveness between TP and ET procedures. Results…

Purpose: We examine the content, context, and management of literacy learning opportunities in a large, diverse sample in the US and whether these opportunities were differentiated by children's oral language and decoding skill levels. Method: A total of 1,404 children in 153 preschool-through-third-grade classrooms were observed for several…

The purpose of this study was to investigate second-grade students' ("N" = 128) rhythm-reading achievement and retention after 5 or 10 min of weekly instruction for 3 weeks. Eight intact classes were placed into two groups. Group 1 received 5 min of rhythm-reading instruction during weekly music class, whereas Group 2 received 10 min of…

Teachers play a large role in determining whether or not the classroom climate experienced by students is positive, especially through their visible emotional behaviors (i.e., neutral, positive, and negative emotional expressions). Research suggests that teachers make specific contributions to the classroom emotional climate in actions such as…

This dissertation examined the relationship that additional recess has on office discipline referrals. The relationship between additional recess time and student attendance was also examined in the study. Many research projects have been completed during the No Child Left Behind era where recess was reduced in many schools to allow for more…

When student achievement is assessed, we seek to elicit a student's maximum performance -- a goal requiring the assumption that the student is fully engaged. Otherwise, to the extent that disengagement occurs, test performance is likely to suffer. Effectively managing test-taking disengagement requires an understanding of the testing conditions…

Numerous studies suggest a correlation between a school's physical environment and children's academic success. A variable within the classroom environment that has received little attention in the literature is the interior lighting. It is known that higher levels of correlated color temperature (CCT) lighting influence worker productivity in a…

This work was motivated by the idea of approaching teaching practice in multilevel classes based on a problem, namely the need to improve the management of time in these types of classes. The time management strategy, developed in this work, consists of applying two modes of alternating teaching, the classical mode "work and make work"…

This doctoral research study explored student reading experiences within two Grade Two reading classrooms in eastern Canada, taking into account official and enacted reading curriculum, and student reading actions. The study was a critical ethnography with data being collected through classroom observations and curricular artifacts. Observational…

When performing a task in the classroom, it is essential to place the focus on learning. In the classroom, it is possible to distinguish between time spent by students on-task and off-task. The former is the time in which the student is focused on the learning task; the latter is the remaining time in which they focus on other activities.…

Achievement disparities between American Indian students and non-American Indian peers are persistent and well documented. Student engagement is a promising target for intervention given its relation to academic achievement. This study investigated the relation between specific teacher practices (opportunities to respond [OTRs], praise, and…

Children's externalizing and off-task behaviors are deemed a major concern for elementary teachers and interfere with the classroom learning environment (Abidin & Robinson, 2002; Shillingford-Butler & Theodore, 2013). Children with these behaviors are at risk of falling behind academically and experiencing ongoing behavioral problems…

In the current study the reading speed of the narration and the difficulty of the text was manipulated and links were explored with children's attention to the printed text in shared book reading. Thirty-nine children (24 grade 1 and 15 grade 2) were presented easy and difficult books at slow (syllable by syllable) or fast (adult reading speed)…

The present longitudinal study examined the reciprocal relationships between teachers' causal attributions and children's math performance and task persistence. In total, 760 elementary school children and their teachers participated in this study. The children were tested in math twice, at the end of the second and third grades. At both time…

Many classrooms are beginning to substitute standard chairs with therapy balls, which help to improve students' focus and classroom performance, according to teacher and student reports. Researchers conducted an observational study in a classroom at a local elementary school that implemented therapy balls. For each hour-long observation, three…