Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item The influence of school and parent communication on science attitudes and achievement in fourth graders(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2012) Murphy, Susannah Spradlin; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.I teach in the community of Frenchtown, Montana. This small, rural school is grappling with the recent loss of the community's largest employer, a large paper mill. Families who were once living quite comfortably are now struggling to survive. Most of the jobs lost were very skill specific, and those skills are not helping those displaced to find meaningful work that can support their families. This stress is played out every day in my fourth grade classroom. Montana's timber economy is shrinking. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, nine of the twenty jobs with the fastest projected growth are STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) related (Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 2010). Given better educational background and more flexible skills, the children in my classroom will be more prepared to handle such a catastrophic economic blow if it should strike in their adult life. Students with positive science experiences in their elementary through high school years are more likely to choose science related studies after graduation. The purpose of the study was to improve student achievement in science and student perception of their own abilities by implementing a structured and supportive program of communication between family and school. Using home visits to each child, a class website focusing on science related explorations, and frequent contact via e-mail, newsletters, phone calls, and one-on-one visits, I established a culture of communication. I found that this increased focus on keeping parents and children in close communication and contact with our school and classroom had a significant positive impact on student attitudes and academic performance in science. Hopefully this is one piece of what it takes to help them seek out a challenging future in higher education and beyond.Item Including parents in classroom science nights(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2012) Lozar, Hilary Rae; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.The purpose of this study was to engage parents within the classroom in order to minimize any discomfort parents feel when at or communicating with the school and staff. In order to do this, parents were invited to attend monthly classroom science nights with their families. Each night, a science expert presented to the families and followed the presentation up with some sort of hands-on learning experience. Parents as well as children were encouraged to participate in this treatment, and the resulting environment was informal. As more parents began to participate and word began to spread, I was approached by far more parents than ever before in my career, asking about the next science night. Parents seemed quite at ease when talking to me, and several still seek me out even after the treatment to say hello at school functions. I was able to determine that science nights do help contribute to parent comfort at school by comparing responses to several attitude survey questions from before the treatment to responses after. Most parents changed their answers to the survey item, "The school and staff are easy to talk to and knowledgeable regarding science," from neutral or agree on the pre-treatment survey to agree and strongly agree on the post-treatment survey. The key words in this survey item are "easy to talk to." If I have become easier to talk to as a teacher, the purpose of this study has been fulfilled.