Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

12-2023

School/College

College of Education (COE)

Degree Name

Ed.D., Counselor Education

Committee Chairperson

Irvine E Epps

Committee Member 1

Shanna Broussard

Committee Member 2

Jessica Davis

Committee Member 3

Emiel Owens

Keywords

Cognitive Learning Theory, Connectivism, COVID, Face-to-Face, STAAR Test, Virtual

Abstract

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) did not allow elementary aged students to receive the vaccination for COVID-19 (which will be referred to as the pandemic) until the Spring of 2021. This created two environments: the face-to-face learning environment and the virtual learning environment. Teachers were thrown into a situation in which they had to consider the risks to their own health before deciding on the best way to teach a particular lesson. Virtual learning was not considered by some to be as effective as face-to-face learning. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to analyze the mean scores on state testing of third, fourth, and fifth-grade students that received virtual instruction and face-to-face instruction in Title 1 schools in Texas. For this study, the independent variables are virtual learning and face-to-face learning. The dependent variables are the mean scores on state testing for reading and math. The Kruskal-Wallis H Test compared the mean scores of students that learned in virtual environments and face-to-face environments to determine if there is a significant difference in math and reading. This study was grounded in two theories of learning; cognitive learning theory and connectivism learning theory. The goal was to make an empirical contribution to the body of knowledge concerning performance of state testing of students who learned in a virtual environment compared to students who learned in a face-to-face environment.

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