Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Education Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 30 of 81

Full-Text Articles in Education

Leadership Strategies Used To Reduce Turnover In Turnaround Settings, Sharafdeen Olatunde Saidu Jan 2021

Leadership Strategies Used To Reduce Turnover In Turnaround Settings, Sharafdeen Olatunde Saidu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher turnover continues to contribute negatively to academic achievement of a majority of turnaround schools serving students with low socioeconomic status, and many school leaders lack effective strategies to reduce teacher turnover, especially during the school turnaround process. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies, behaviors, and practices used by turnaround principals in reducing teacher turnover during school turnaround. The framework for this study was based on Herzberg’s motivation and hygiene theory. The population in the study consisted of eight school principals who have implemented effective strategies that increased teacher retention in turnaround schools. …


Teachers’ Perceptions Of Junior Secondary Education And Student Academic Performance In Central Ethiopia, Mulugeta Haile Jan 2021

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Junior Secondary Education And Student Academic Performance In Central Ethiopia, Mulugeta Haile

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite Ethiopia’s rapid economic growth and its attempts at different educational models, there is a significant problem with junior secondary school education and student academic performance. The purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of junior secondary school education in central Ethiopia and what innovative academic approaches are necessary to increase student academic performance. The study used self-determination theory as its foundation. The main research question was focused on junior secondary school education, current policies, and students’ academic performance. A nonprobability purposive sampling method was used to select 10 teachers from two schools. The study used semi structured …


Elementary Principals’ Behaviors And Actions For Retaining Teachers, Sharonda Gregory Jan 2021

Elementary Principals’ Behaviors And Actions For Retaining Teachers, Sharonda Gregory

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPrincipal support is critical in promoting teacher retention, which has continued to be a challenge in elementary schools in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to ascertain how principals described their strategies for retaining teachers at elementary schools in a large, urban-suburban school district in the Eastern United States. The conceptual framework was based on Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory and transformational leadership theory. The research questions addressed challenges, supports, and leadership practices principals identified that increased teacher retention in the elementary school setting. Semistructured interviews were conducted with eight elementary school principals who had at least …


Teacher Perceptions Of Second Step In Third And Fourth Grade, Sarah Lewis Jan 2021

Teacher Perceptions Of Second Step In Third And Fourth Grade, Sarah Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Behavior problems among third- and fourth-grade students have become an issue of concern among stakeholders in the education sector. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of Second Step, a socioemotional curriculum with practices used to address behaviors with third and fourth graders. The study’s theoretical framework was Bandura’s social learning theory. Research questions focused on third and fourth-grade teachers’ perceptions of Second Step’s benefits on student behaviors and socioemotional practices. Interviews, document reviews, and photographs were used to collect data from 10 third- and fourth-grade teachers. Open coding and thematic analysis were used …


College Readiness: Rural High School Graduates, Brian M. Corey Jan 2021

College Readiness: Rural High School Graduates, Brian M. Corey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

College readiness involves not only academics but emotional preparation, study skills, and time management and can be affected by students’ backgrounds. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate perceptions among rural high school graduates and their college teachers regarding these students’ levels of college readiness. The conceptual framework included Astin’s involvement theory, Bandura’s social learning theory, and Tinto’s student integration model. Research questions focused on perceptions of students who graduated from a rural school district and college teachers’ perceptions of these students’ levels of college readiness. Data for this qualitative case study were collected through qualitative surveys …


Retention And Employability Of Native American And Alaskan Native Undergraduates In Public Universities, Dottie Hines Chicquelo Jan 2021

Retention And Employability Of Native American And Alaskan Native Undergraduates In Public Universities, Dottie Hines Chicquelo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Scholars have called for generalized academic and social change for the United States Native American and Alaskan Native students (the U.S. NA/AN) and the need for reform continues. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore strategies used at the U.S. public universities to support U.S. NA/AN students and identify strategies to improved students’ employment pathways after graduation. The management problem was the lack of retention strategies used to support the U.S. NA/AN student engagement within communities after graduation. The general management problem looked at how the lack of retention strategies affected the U.S. NA/AN student employability after …


Urban School District Principals’ Perceptions Of Job Satisfaction, Darcy Lynn Woodcock Jan 2021

Urban School District Principals’ Perceptions Of Job Satisfaction, Darcy Lynn Woodcock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Principals in urban school districts directly and indirectly affect school communitiesthrough student achievement, teacher retention, and school climate. When a high-quality school principal leaves a school, it can negatively affect these areas due to the interruption of progress toward school improvement goals to increase student achievement. Seeking to address this issue, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the perceptions of job satisfaction among urban school district principals. The conceptual framework was Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory. The key research question concerned investigating the perceptions of job satisfaction among urban school district principals. Qualitative data were collected via virtual, …


Teacher Perceptions About Instructional Delivery For Chinese International Students, Valerie Lorraine Marchione Jan 2021

Teacher Perceptions About Instructional Delivery For Chinese International Students, Valerie Lorraine Marchione

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that prompted this study was that teachers at a local private school werestruggling to identify and implement appropriate instructional strategies to promote international student academic and social engagement. The purpose of this study was to examine teacher perceptions and experiences about instructing international students. The conceptual framework of this study was based on Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism. The research questions explored teachers’ perceptions about their knowledge, experiences, and perceptions of students’ school acculturation and teachers’ instructional processes. A case study design was used to capture the insights of 12 high school teachers of international students through semistructured …


Student Retention At The Community College Level, Davia Debisha Ramgeet Jan 2021

Student Retention At The Community College Level, Davia Debisha Ramgeet

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Student retention has been a serious issue for many community colleges globally for several decades. In a community college in Jamaica, persistence rates have been steadily declining within the last several years. The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ experiences with the pre-college program that was designed to prepare students to enter and successfully complete college undergraduate programs. Astin’s conceptual framework on involvement was used for this qualitative project study. Key questions for this study included what in-class experiences and what student support services students participating in the pre-college program perceived to be most useful to their college …


Faculty, Clinical Supervisors, And Teacher Candidate Perceptions And Experiences Of Teacher Candidate Feedback, Timothy John Martin Calver Jan 2021

Faculty, Clinical Supervisors, And Teacher Candidate Perceptions And Experiences Of Teacher Candidate Feedback, Timothy John Martin Calver

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem at a West Coast university was that the university’s teacher education program lead faculty and teacher candidates stated they were concerned about the quality of feedback provided to teacher candidates who are assessed by clinical supervisors during their field-based experiences. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the perceptions and experiences of teacher candidates, clinical supervisors, and teacher education department (TED) faculty regarding the feedback process. The conceptual framework used for this study was Argyris’ theory of single-loop and double-loop learning to support the research question. The research question was focused on perceptions about the feedback …


Middle School Teachers’ Use Of Differentiated Instruction Strategies, Felecia G. Prince Jan 2021

Middle School Teachers’ Use Of Differentiated Instruction Strategies, Felecia G. Prince

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMiddle School Teachers’ Use of Differentiated Instruction Strategies by Felecia George Prince MEd, Troy University, 2010 BS, Georgia Southern University, 1988 AA, East Georgia College, 1984 Project Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University June 2020Abstract The administrators at the study site were concerned that teachers struggle with differentiated instruction (DI) in their classrooms, which involves strategies to support students’ levels. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to learn what DI strategies teachers used at the study site. The conceptual framework of Tomlinson on the differentiated strategies …


Principals’ Perspectives Regarding Their Leadership Roles In Smart Board Technology Integration, Donna Faith Nelson Jan 2021

Principals’ Perspectives Regarding Their Leadership Roles In Smart Board Technology Integration, Donna Faith Nelson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSmart Board Technologies (SBTs) are prevalent in K–6 schools and teachers are expected to use them to enhance student learning. The Smart Board (SB) may not be used effectively in the classroom. The effective use of the SB increases student engagement and performance. To ensure the effective use of the SB, the principal’s role is crucial. While the teachers’ perspectives about SBT use in pedagogy have often been researched, the literature concerning principals’ perspectives in SBT integration is scarce. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand principals’ perspectives regarding their leadership roles in SBT integration. Bass’s theory …


Understanding Principals' Perceptions Of Leadership For Implementation Of Social-Emotional Learning (Sel) Programs, Margaret Akinnusi Jan 2021

Understanding Principals' Perceptions Of Leadership For Implementation Of Social-Emotional Learning (Sel) Programs, Margaret Akinnusi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School principals' leadership strategies and collaborative efforts contribute immensely to defining and managing goals in response to any educational initiatives, including social-emotional learning (SEL) programs. The problem prompting this study was the disproportionate special education referral and school suspension of minority students. Although the focus school district adopted an SEL curriculum and tasked principals with implementation to reduce disproportionality, these disparities continue to persist. This qualitative descriptive study explored 10 principals' leadership strategies and implementation challenges regarding SEL program implementation to close the disparity of special education identification and the suspension and expulsion of minority students at an urban school …


Administrators’ And Teachers’ Perceptions Of Professional Learning Communities As Replacements For Traditional Professional Development, Antwonette Woodlon Jan 2021

Administrators’ And Teachers’ Perceptions Of Professional Learning Communities As Replacements For Traditional Professional Development, Antwonette Woodlon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professional learning communities (PLCs) positively influence students’ and teachers’ success. Yet, traditional professional development, involving passive learning, is still widely used. The problem addressed in this qualitative case study is little is known about administrators’ perceptions about PLCs as replacements for traditional forms of professional development (PD). Administrators’ and teachers’ perceptions of PLCs should be explored to learn more about why PLCs are underutilized in schools, despite their proven effectiveness. The primary conceptual framework used for this study was Knowles’ adult learning theory supported by Contextual learning theory. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit eight participants – four administrators and …


Pk–12 District Administrator Perceptions About Career Readiness And Workforce Preparation Programs And Activities In Schools, Shawn Lee Dilly Jan 2021

Pk–12 District Administrator Perceptions About Career Readiness And Workforce Preparation Programs And Activities In Schools, Shawn Lee Dilly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of student career preparedness has increased the number of youths facing negative personal, economic, and social implications and have led to increased calls for public education to find solutions. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore West Virginia district administrators’ perceptions about career readiness and workforce programs. Underpinning the study’s conceptual framework was educational leadership. The two research questions focused on district administrator perceptions about the value and importance and the barriers, limitations, and successes of career readiness and workforce programs. A qualitative survey and semistructured interview were employed to provide data for an iterative, …


Academic Advising For Students’ Success At The Community College Level In The West Indies, Delores Imelda Stapleton Harris Jan 2021

Academic Advising For Students’ Success At The Community College Level In The West Indies, Delores Imelda Stapleton Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Community colleges expect their employees to promote academic success and propel students to graduation by providing a range of services, including academic advising. Increasingly, advising professionals continue to extoll the benefits of effective academic advising. The problem of the lack of enough trained advisers and information about the effects of academic advising on students’ success at a college in the West Indies was addressed in this study. Schlossberg’s transition theory and Bloom et al.’s appreciative advising theory were used in this basic qualitative study to explore the perceptions of 8 former students who graduated up to 3 years prior to …


Factors Influencing K–12 Female Educators’ Decisions Not To Apply For The Superintendency, Tiawana Giles Jan 2021

Factors Influencing K–12 Female Educators’ Decisions Not To Apply For The Superintendency, Tiawana Giles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractDespite holding 75% of certified positions in K–12 schools in the United States, women hold just 24% of public school superintendent positions. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain an understanding of why female principals and central office personnel attained superintendent credentials and have not yet applied for a superintendent position. The conceptual framework for the study was feminist standpoint theory, which is often used to guide research regarding the knowledge and understanding of marginalized groups. Two research questions were used to explore why female K–12 principals attained their superintendent license and why they decided not to …


Instructional Leadership Practices Of Middle School Principals Regarding Students With Learning Disabilities, Sharon Dixson Jan 2021

Instructional Leadership Practices Of Middle School Principals Regarding Students With Learning Disabilities, Sharon Dixson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA problem existed among middle school principals in that they appeared to inconsistently apply instructional leadership practices while supporting their teachers teaching students with learning disabilities. How the principals perceived these inconsistencies and the possible effects on practice was not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of middle school principals regarding their instructional leadership practices to consistently support teachers who teach students with learning disabilities. The conceptual framework comprised the instructional leadership theory of Murphy, Hallinger, Weil, and Mitman. The research question addressed the perceptions of middle school principals regarding their instructional leadership practices …


Administrators’ Perceptions Of Student Dropout Interventions, Jennifer Alden Holmstrom Jan 2021

Administrators’ Perceptions Of Student Dropout Interventions, Jennifer Alden Holmstrom

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educational leaders have implemented a number of programs and practices to reduce the number of students who drop out of U.S. high schools, yet little is known in the research literature and at the practice level about how administrators perceive these interventions. The problem that this study addressed was a lack of knowledge about which implemented school practices and intervention programs are effective for reducing dropout rates from the perspectives of administrators in a Mid-Atlantic state. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore administrators’ perceptions concerning implemented school practices and intervention programs intended to reduce dropout rates. …


General And Special Educators’ Perceptions Of Transition For Students With Disabilities, Doris Louise Rouson Butler Jan 2021

General And Special Educators’ Perceptions Of Transition For Students With Disabilities, Doris Louise Rouson Butler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with disabilities (SWDs) require a transition process to support high school graduation and continuation to higher education or the workforce. In a rural district in a southern state, the problem investigated was only 37% of SWDs were graduating from high schools in the target district, compared to 79.9% of students without disabilities, which suggested that the transition design and implementation did not support SWDs’ needs. Using a transition-focused conceptual framework, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand the perceptions of educators regarding the design and implementation of the transition process for SWDs at the high schools …


The Implementation Of Universal Basic Education In A School In Nigeria, Romanus A. Igweonu Jan 2021

The Implementation Of Universal Basic Education In A School In Nigeria, Romanus A. Igweonu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Nigerian government has been concerned in recent years with students’ achievement gaps in basic science. Currently, there is not enough research on the perspectives of administrators and teachers concerning their practices and experiences of Universal Basic Education (UBE) programs and their influence on students’ science achievements. In this basic qualitative study, the perceptions of three administrators and eight basic science teachers in a selected school were explored regarding their practices and experiences utilizing the UBE program to bridge achievement gaps among ninth grade students in basic science. The conceptual framework was based on the Fullan change theory that assumes …


Supplemental Education Services Regarding Standardized Literacy And Mathematics Proficiency Of At-Risk Students, Anthony Riscica Jan 2021

Supplemental Education Services Regarding Standardized Literacy And Mathematics Proficiency Of At-Risk Students, Anthony Riscica

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAt-risk high school students had low literacy and mathematics proficiency state test scores for the past 6 consecutive years in one suburban public school district in the Northern United States. In 2016, school administrators implemented supplemental education services (SES) to help these students to improve their performance on state tests. The purpose of this quasi-experimental research study was to examine if there was a statistically significant difference in literacy and mathematics state test scores before and after the implementation of SES into the curriculum. The theoretical foundation was Vygotsky’s social development theory, which posits students make connections between the teaching …


Middle School Educators’ Perspectives Of The Influence Of Professional Learning Communities To Improve Student Achievement, Glen Edward Worthy Jan 2021

Middle School Educators’ Perspectives Of The Influence Of Professional Learning Communities To Improve Student Achievement, Glen Edward Worthy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Middle school students in an urban school district located in the northeastern United States struggled to improve their academic performance. In response to this problem, the superintendent initiated a districtwide professional learning community (PLC); however, students’ test scores in five schools declined. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore school administrators’ and teachers’ perspectives of the influence that PLCs had on teachers’ instructional practices to improve student achievement. Wenger’s theory of the community of practice guided this study. A purposeful sample of two school administrators and six teachers, who completed PLC implementation training and participated in PLCs …


Administrators’ Perceptions Of Transformational Leadership Practices Influencing African American And Hispanic High School Graduation, Sue Arredondo Jan 2021

Administrators’ Perceptions Of Transformational Leadership Practices Influencing African American And Hispanic High School Graduation, Sue Arredondo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High school graduation is a gateway opportunity for higher education and economic self-sufficiency. Ethnic minority students face challenges accumulating academic credits to graduate high school within 4 years. Researchers found that school leaders are second only to classroom teachers in the influence they have on student achievement. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions of urban high school administrators concerning their transformational leadership practices and their influence on African American and Hispanic students achieving high school graduation in the southwestern United States. The transformational leadership framework of Burns and Bass guided this study. The research …


Principals’ And Teachers’ Perceptions Of Content-Specific Instructional Feedback, Shernore S. Prince Jan 2021

Principals’ And Teachers’ Perceptions Of Content-Specific Instructional Feedback, Shernore S. Prince

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem for this basic qualitative study was that principals were not consistently providing content-specific feedback to support teachers’ instructional practices. This problem was important because principals, as instructional leaders, are responsible for giving feedback to teachers to support teachers’ instructional practices. The purpose of this study was to investigate principals’ and teachers’ perceptions of content-specific feedback. Danielson’s framework for teaching was the conceptual framework that linked the concepts and variables in this study. The research questions addressed how principals perceived that they provided content-specific feedback to support teachers’ instructional practice, and how teachers perceived principals as providing content-specific …


Play Lu Interactive Technology And Standardized Mathematics Scores, Oguz Yildiz Jan 2021

Play Lu Interactive Technology And Standardized Mathematics Scores, Oguz Yildiz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Technology-based learning tools provide new opportunities to engage students in learning academic content. This study focuses on one such tool, Play Lu Interactive Technology (PLIT), and analyzes how students’ math achievement on standardized test scores differs between students who have used PLIT and students who have not. PLIT is designed to improve students’ communication and teamwork skills in addition to math skills. The data were collected from seventh-grade students at a public school in the state of New York that used PLIT to support students’ academic achievement in math. Due to scheduling limitations, only half of the seventh-grade students used …


Teachers' Perceptions Of Challenges Implementing Best Practices For Inclusion, Julie Deshann Miller Jan 2021

Teachers' Perceptions Of Challenges Implementing Best Practices For Inclusion, Julie Deshann Miller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a small, rural district in southeastern United States, general and special education teachers have not consistently provided inclusionary practices for students with disabilities to help them be successful in the general education setting. The purpose of this study was to investigate what general and special education teachers perceive are effective inclusionary practices, why they are not implementing the strategies, and what teachers think they need to help them improve implementing inclusion practices. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was Knowles' adult learning theory. The research questions addressed the inclusionary practices teachers use, challenges of inclusion, and teachers' perceptions …


Perceptions Of Parents Of K-5 English Language Learners Regarding Teacher-Parents Nights, Jean David Annulysse Jan 2021

Perceptions Of Parents Of K-5 English Language Learners Regarding Teacher-Parents Nights, Jean David Annulysse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractFewer than 10% of the parents of K-5 English language learners (ELLs) participated in teacher-parents interview nights in a Northeastern United States urban public elementary school district. The purpose of this basic qualitative research was to identify the factors influencing the capacity of the parents of K-5 ELLs to participate in teacher-parents interview nights. The research question focused on identifying the factors influencing the capacity of the parents of K-5 ELLs to participate in teacher-parents interview nights. The conceptual framework was the school community theory developed by Epstein, which posits separate responsibilities of families and schools, shared responsibilities of families …


The Diffusion Of Innovation In A Math Professional Learning Community, Daphne Shannon Kahn-Wiley Jan 2021

The Diffusion Of Innovation In A Math Professional Learning Community, Daphne Shannon Kahn-Wiley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIn a southern U.S. suburban middle school, officials required the implementation of professional learning communities (PLCs) to improve student achievement in math. Despite PLC implementation, math student achievement did not improve over 4 years since implementation in the fall of 2014. The problem was that middle school math teachers and educational personnel struggled to implement the innovation of a PLC at the target school. The purpose of this exploratory case study was to examine teachers’ and school officials’ perceptions of the math PLC process using Rogers’s diffusion of innovation (DOI) framework and archival documents to determine reasons for the challenges …


Comparison Of Course Grades Among Learning Modalities In Historically Black College And Universities, Murdell Walker Mcfarlin Jan 2021

Comparison Of Course Grades Among Learning Modalities In Historically Black College And Universities, Murdell Walker Mcfarlin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe growth of online courses in higher education, combined with the distinct situational identity of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and their continued emphasis on face-to-face (F2F) instruction, provided an opportunity to learn more about learning modalities and student grades at HBCUs. The problem was previous research findings are contradictory regarding grades among modalities at HBCUs. The purpose of this study was to compare differences in grades among three learning modalities (F2F, hybrid, and online) for three student groups (African American, non-African American, and all students) at three public, 4-year HBCUs in one U.S. state. This cross-sectional, ex post …