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Improving Literacy For Diverse Low Socio-Economic Status Middle School Students, Vivian Fowler Means

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In an urban district, Surfside School personnel were concerned that student literacy proficiency levels were low during 2011-2014 and teachers had not been able to close the achievement gap despite a focus on literacy practices and literacy professional development (PD) provided by the district. The purpose of this case study was to explore the perceptions of teachers and administrators in relation to the best instructional practices for increasing self-efficacy when teaching literacy skills and related literacy PD for teachers. Knowles' andragogy theory and Vygotsky's social learning theory formed the theoretical foundation of this study, which hold that PD should provide …

Middle School Literacy Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Self-Efficacy To Teach Reading Standards, Marcia Lohan Whyte

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the implementation of more rigorous reading standards nationwide, teachers are feeling less secure about their abilities to teach students to become proficient readers. Utilizing Bandura's theory of self-efficacy as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teachers perceived their self-efficacy to teach complex reading standards to struggling readers. Seven middle school English language arts teachers from 2 schools in a southern school district participated in this study. The research questions addressed teachers' understanding of the recent Common Core literacy standards and perceptions of their own self-efficacy to teach mastery of these standards …

Parental Self-Efficacy, Feeding Practices And Styles, And Obesity In Mexican American Children, Maria Carmen Goodwin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood obesity rates among Mexican Americans have risen along with the concerns of public health professionals. The purpose of this cross-sectional study, based on social cognitive theory, was to investigate the relationships among parental self-efficacy, parental feeding practices and styles, and childhood obesity, as measured by the parental perception of child weight, among Mexican Americans in Texas. Mothers and fathers (n=83; 33 males, 64 females), with at least 1 child between 8 and10 years, formed the sample. Relationships were assessed using the Tool to Measure Parenting Self-Efficacy questionnaire, the Parental Feeding Practices Questionnaire for Mexican American parents, the Parenting Dimensions …

A Phenomenological Study Of Executive's Perspectives Of Hope Theory In Executive Coaching, Steven Hodlin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The executive coaching and positive psychology fields are growing; however, minimal research exists regarding the coaching experiences of executive coachees with the various approaches a coach can utilize. The problem addressed in this study was the lack of research on consistent standards regarding how executive coaching should be conducted. The primary purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of executives who have been coached using approaches based on Snyder's hope theory, Buckingham and Clifton's theories of strength-based approaches to leadership, and the theories of positive psychology advanced by Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi. The participants in this …

Exploring General Career Barriers And Self-Constructed Career Impediments Of Minority Women Managers And Leaders, Octavia A. Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2016, the U.S. Census Bureau indicated only 39.1% of women occupied management and leadership occupations. The absence of women in leadership roles minimizes career aspirations, reduces the benefits of gender diversity, and lowers growth opportunities for women. The purpose of this interpretive hermeneutical phenomenological study was to unveil the lived experiences of a sample of minority women managers and leaders in the finance and insurance sector in Central Florida who encountered general career barriers and self-imposed career impediments that hindered them from advancing. The conceptual framework that guided this study was the social cognitive career theory coupled with the …

The Effect Of Two Modes Of Aerobic Assessment On Fifth Grade Students' Self Efficacy, Debra Roth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Declining youth physical activity levels and lack of aerobic fitness have been well documented with a corresponding rise in obesity levels and health issues. Based on Bandura's social cognitive theory, healthy physical activity levels and aerobic fitness are strongly connected to positive physical activity self-efficacy beliefs. This study examined whether student physical activity self-efficacy, motivation, and effort were different for the FitnessGram-® (FG) 1-Mile Run when compared to the 15-minute Aerobic Assessment Based on Improvement (AABI). A concurrent mixed method quasi-experimental approach measured 5th grade students' physical activity self-efficacy beliefs through a pretest and posttest survey while aerobic assessment scores …

Special Education Teachers' Voices On Co-Planning In A Suburban School District, Corinne Jeffers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited co-planning between special education and general education co-teaching partners has been documented in professional literature as a significant problem. Special education teachers do not adequately co-plan for the implementation of accommodations for students with disabilities educated in the general education classroom. The purpose of this study was to collect and analyze the perceptions of special education teachers in one suburban elementary school district in the United States regarding co-planning with regular education teachers. The theory of self-efficacy was utilized as the conceptual framework to understand how teachers' beliefs and experiences influenced planning and goal setting for special education students. …

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions Of Self-Efficacy When Using A Scripted Reading, Misty Leigh Mukherjee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers report that implementation of scripted reading programs has been inconsistent. Although administrators need to understand teachers' experiences with scripted reading instruction to make decisions about best practices for implementation of those programs, little research on those experiences exists. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand and describe teachers' lived experiences and self-efficacy when using a scripted reading program. Bruner's constructivist theory, the concept of pedagogical content knowledge, and self-efficacy theory were used to frame the study. Eight elementary teachers in Grades K-3 from the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States each completed 4 individual interviews. Template-based iterative …

The Relationship Between Pre-Licensure Employment And Student Nurse Self-Efficacy, Khristina Lee Grimm

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Student nurses transitioning to acute care practice often feel unprepared to accept the responsibilities associated with their new role. Lack of self-efficacy in nursing practice contributes to high levels of stress and anxiety as the new nurse enters the workforce which causes turnover during the first year of practice. Little is known about how the type and amount of pre-licensure employment affects the self-efficacy in nursing practice of the student nurse. Using Bandura's social cognitive theory, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between type and amount of pre-licensure employment and self-efficacy in nursing practice of …

Inclusion In Jamaican Primary Schools: Teachers' Self-Efficacy, Attitudes, And Concerns, Jillian Samms

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inclusive education has become an international phenomenon; however, many developing countries struggle with its implementation. At last assessment of the Jamaican educational system in 2004, findings revealed exclusionary practices which are in contrast to international standards on education. Many children with special needs may not be receiving adequate support for education. Using Bandura's social learning theory as a foundation, this study examined whether there is a predictive relationship between grade level, type of school, location of school, access to support resources, perceived school climate, pedagogical beliefs, extent of inclusion training, attitudes to inclusion, and teachers' ratings of self-efficacy for inclusive …

Exercise Adherence Among Active Working Women, Roxane Evonne Hearn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low levels of exercise adherence has contributed to the increased prevalence of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes in American women. These low levels, coupled with high exercise program dropout rates, point to a need for strategies to increase exercise frequency in women who exercise, but not enough to improve their health and reduce risks. Real-time interventions, such as text messaging, could be useful in improving the cognitions that regulate adherence. Using a snowball sampling strategy, a cross-sectional sample of working women (N =130), ages 18-64, in the volitional stage of exercise behavior, completed a 60-item survey on exercise behavior. Social …

Students' Mathematics Self-Efficacy, Anxiety, And Course Level At A Community College, Scott Reiner Spaniol

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research suggests that student success in mathematics is positively correlated to math self-efficacy and negatively correlated to math anxiety. At a Hispanic serving community college in the Midwest, developmental math students had a lower pass rate than did college-level math students, but the role of math self-efficacy and math anxiety on these students' learning was unknown. This causal comparative, correlational study, guided by social cognitive theory and math anxiety research, hypothesized that students in developmental math would have lower levels of math self-efficacy and higher levels of math anxiety, and that significant correlations would exist between course level, self-efficacy, and …

The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy And Advanced Stem Coursework In Female Secondary Students, Bethany Marie Bernasconi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite years of attention, gender inequity persists in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Female STEM faculty, positive social interactions, and enrollment in advanced STEM secondary coursework are supportive factors in promoting female students' persistence in STEM fields. To address the gap in understanding these factors, this study employed a sequential mixed method design using a framework of social cognitive theory. Research questions focused on how levels of self-efficacy and perception of personal and social factors among female secondary students related to their enrollment in advanced STEM coursework and extracurricular activities in a rural New England school where gender parity …

Careers In Stem Begin With Elementary Student Interest In Mathematics, Linda Ertrachter Brimmer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

I investigated why math capable students are not entering science, technology,

engineering, and math (STEM) careers. To research the problem, I explored how highly

effective elementary math teachers (HEMT) create student interest in mathematics using the self-

efficacy (SE) theory and information and communication technology (ICT). The purpose

of the study was to discover if teacher training and instructional strategies can influence

student interest in mathematics to improve STEM career entry. The theoretical

framework adopted for this study was the SE theory, and the 4-phase model of interest

development was the conceptual framework. Participants in this multi-case qualitative

study included …

Professional Development And Self-Efficacy Of Nurses Who Care For Patients Requiring Biocontainment, Denise Occhiuzzo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Increasing global occurrences of highly infectious, easily transmissible diseases unfamiliar to nurses affect the learning environment and the required skill set for professional nurses. The global threat of Ebola Virus Disease and other high-risk diseases requiring biocontainment necessitates competency in the management of complex patient needs, while ensuring safety measures that prevent spread of the potentially fatal disease. Guided by Bandura's social cognitive theory, this quantitative correlational study addressed the relationships between nurses' professional characteristics and their perceived self-efficacy when providing care to highly infectious patients requiring biocontainment. A full census of 92 nurses was used to recruit participants from …