Education Commons^™

Embracing The Reggio Emilia Approach To Early Childhood Education, Tarabeth Brumfield Heineman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Each year, hundreds of early childhood educators from the many parts of the world travel to a small town in the northern part of Italy to study the arts-based, project focused, a child-initiated method known as the Reggio Emilia approach. This unique approach focuses on infant-toddler through preschool and primary education. While teachers are engaged in professional learning and growth, it is hard to determine how many early childhood programs and classrooms are truly influenced by the Reggio Emilia approach. The purpose of this study was to explore and examine the experiences of five teachers from West Virginia who have …

Perceptions On Charter Schools In West Virginia, Donna R. Dixon

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 2018 and 2019, the public school teachers in West Virginia walked out of their classrooms to protest charter schools opening in the Mountain State. During a special legislative session in the summer of 2019, the state's first charter school law was passed, paving the way to open West Virginia's first charter school. This research provides data on whether the COVID-19 global pandemic changed how individuals in West Virginia view charter schools. A concurrent nested mixed-method approach was used for this research. A twenty-one-question survey, Perceptions on Charter Schools in West Virginia, was developed using both Likert scale and …

An Examination Of The Use Of The Bess With Rural Appalachian Preschoolers, Savana B. Earnest

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The use of universal behavioral screenings is endorsed by school psychology training programs as a gold standard of practice, but the implementation of these screenings is less common. Due to this, it is crucial that research examines reliability, validity, and all other psychometric properties when implementing a universal behavioral screening. Literature tells us that the BESS TRSP has shown to have moderate-to-high predictive validity and high stability coefficients in a variety of urban and rural populations of preschool and school age children. This research examined stability of high and low risk scores on the BESS TRSP within a rural Appalachian …

Preschool To School: Transition Through The Eyes Of Teachers, Ruthann Arneson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This qualitative comparative case study conducted in two West Virginia school systems examined the factors that regulate the implementation of transition practices from pre-k into kindergarten from the perspective of pre-k and kindergarten teachers. The participants’ perceptions were explored in relation to teacher practices, school practices, and practices with families in both pre-k and kindergarten classrooms. The study investigated what teachers perceived to be barriers and/or inducements relating to the implementation of transition practices. Findings were based on interviews with pre-k and kindergarten teachers from the two counties. One county participated in a year-long professional development intervention on transitions; the …

Using A Theory-Based Model For Professional Development: Implementing National Common Core Curriculum, Elbert Davis

Educational Foundations and Technology

Nationally, states are searching for the most effective model for integrating the National Common Core Curriculum (NCCC) at the local level. This article describes the training methods and learning model used to address this challenge in two low performing school districts in West Virginia. Pre and post data are presented which validate the effectiveness of the model in improving teacher content knowledge and teaching. Lessons learned and recommendations for school/district administrators charged with implementing the NCCC are also provided.

Participation In Decision Making And Its Effect On Job Satisfaction And Role Stress Of Staff In Child Development Agencies In The United States, Norma Seay Gray

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the relationship of staff participation and desire to participate in the decision-making process of an organization to perceived job satisfaction and role ambiguity and overload of teachers in child development agencies. The study also included an investigation of the methods of decision making most often used by child development agencies to determine if there was a significant relationship between the teachers’ level of satisfaction in participating in decision making and the mode of decision making used in their organizations.

Two hundred thirteen teachers from seventy-six child development programs completed questionnaires indicating how frequently they participated in each …

0220: William "Bill" Curry Papers, 1976, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Typescript draft of Mr. Curry's book "A Price Guide to Values of First Edtions" selected reprints and special editions of book written by Jesse Stuart, 1930-1976.