Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Patricia N. Anderson

Abstract

Students who were not identified with a learning disability or significant developmental delay (SDD) in prekindergarten, but may have undiscovered learning issues are often among the lowest performing students in mathematics when they reach upper grades. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand kindergarten, first, and second grade teacher perspectives of early indicators of later difficulties in mathematics among children not identified as having learning disabilities or SDD in prekindergarten. A retrospective study was conducted in which the remembrances of early grade teachers were used to explore the difficulties children who were struggling with mathematics as fourth and fifth graders had in their early years. The conceptual framework for this study was Kahneman and Tversky’s theory of prediction and decision-making, which suggests that intuitive predictions often follow a judgmental heuristic. Three research questions guided inquiry into early grade teachers’ perspectives of current and past students who struggled with mathematics. Data from 10 interviews, with teachers identified through purposeful sampling, were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results suggested teachers have the same information about students as they had previously, and difficulty in mathematics is not uncommon. Teachers believed they were able to predict in early learners their poor mathematics scoring in later grades, but felt they lacked agency to resolve early mathematics struggles to avoid later struggles. The results of this study bring attention to this perceived lack of agency and may lead to positive social change if early grade teachers are inspired to develop and successfully implement practices dedicated to increasing student success.

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