This study of over 100 kindergarten through 12th grade teachers in southern California focused on the exploration of teacher spirituality, specifically relationship with God and spiritual connection to others, through investigating its predictive role on teacher self-efficacy, specifically efficacy in student engagement, instructional strategies,…

This dissertation sought to produce and empirically test a theoretical model for the literacy construct of print concepts that would take into account the unique affordances of digital picture books for emergent readers. The author used an exploratory study of twenty randomly selected digital story applications to identify print conventions, text…

The notably low level of reading proficiency across the United States, combined with the known importance of teachers for student success, necessitates improved understanding of teachers' knowledge, how it is acquired, and its role in instruction. This study had four goals: (1) identify whether domains of content knowledge and pedagogical content…

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the structural validity and stability of scores on a measure of global classroom quality, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System, Kindergarten-Third Grade (CLASS K-3; Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2008). Using data from a sample of 417 kindergarten classrooms in the rural Southern and Mid-Atlantic…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the role of teacher characteristics and school demographics in teachers' perceptions of children's cognitive abilities. Most researchers find that teachers' personal characteristics are not related to their perceptions of their children's cognitive abilities. In a 2011 study, Douglas Ready and…

The study had twofold purposes. The first one is to establish the underlying structure of family literacy practices at the different grade levels kindergarten, first, third, fifth, and eighth, for children who were followed in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K). The second purpose is to investigate the…

According to the 2006 Program for International Assessment (PISA), the United States is behind their international counterparts in the areas of mathematics and science. (Darling-Hammond, 2010). The Unites States is at a critical point in developing future leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In preparing students for a…

This study utilized a mixed methods design to analyze the ways in which teachers and African American families establish home-school partnerships, and to identify the beliefs, practices, and traditions of teachers and African American families that underlie such partnerships, the factors that motivate their development, and the ways these vary by…

Elementary school age children engage in levels of physical activity that are well below recommended guidelines. It has been suggested that classroom teachers can assist in remedying the problem by providing physical activity breaks and physical activity embedded in instruction. This study utilized the instrument, Physical Activity in the…