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Articles 1 - 30 of 36
Full-Text Articles in Education
A Qualitative Study Of Teachers’ Knowledge Of Anxiety And Their Feelings Of Preparedness To Support Students With Anxiety, Jessica Minahan
A Qualitative Study Of Teachers’ Knowledge Of Anxiety And Their Feelings Of Preparedness To Support Students With Anxiety, Jessica Minahan
Educational Studies Dissertations
The incidence of anxiety disorders, one of the most prevalent mental health disorders, in students has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, these disorders continue to be underdiagnosed and untreated in schools, leading to impaired learning, social relationships, and health issues. If teachers, who spend a considerable amount of time with students, identify anxiety and enforce successful interventions, it can lead to positive student outcomes. Therefore, this qualitative study examined teachers’ knowledge of anxiety and their feelings of preparedness in teaching students with anxiety. Thirteen general education elementary teachers with two to three years of experience were interviewed. The participants …
Charter School Leaders And Their Students’ Resilience, Katy Bridget Angelone
Charter School Leaders And Their Students’ Resilience, Katy Bridget Angelone
Educational Studies Dissertations
The purpose of this multiple composite case study was to develop descriptive accounts of the thoughts, beliefs, actions, and assessments of charter school leaders regarding their efforts towards students’ resilience-building. Survey results from 46 participants identified eight Massachusetts charter school leaders who prioritized resilience-building within their schools. Semi-structured interviews with eight participants inquired about their reasons and methods for resilience-building in their schools and the factors and conditions that inhibit and foster their efforts. The qualitative data analysis yielded five findings. Participants operated from two orientations: resilience empowers learners and cultivates self-directed learning; and resilience is needed to manage traumatic …
The Teaching Artist Experience: An Art-Based Study Exploring Teaching Artists' Perspectives On The Efficacy Of Employment-Based Training And Support, Tessa Bry Taylor
The Teaching Artist Experience: An Art-Based Study Exploring Teaching Artists' Perspectives On The Efficacy Of Employment-Based Training And Support, Tessa Bry Taylor
Educational Studies Dissertations
This art-based research study seeks to examine teaching artists’ current perspectives on the models of training and support provided to them by their employers. The study was conducted with a group of teaching artists exploring two key research questions: What models of training and support do teaching artists receive? What are teaching artists perspectives on the efficacy of those models? Responses were explored collaboratively through a cyclical process of artmaking, reflection, and discussion designed and facilitated by the artist-researcher. The study yielded the following outcomes: teaching artists believe training and support received from employers is inefficient and inconsistent; teaching artists …
Book Groups And The Relational Engagement Of Sixth-Grade Readers, Kathryn Contini
Book Groups And The Relational Engagement Of Sixth-Grade Readers, Kathryn Contini
Educational Studies Dissertations
The purpose of this mini-ethnographic case study is to determine the factors that impact the relational engagement of middle-school readers in a student-facilitated book group. This is achieved by considering how students relationally engaged with texts, peers, and a teacher while participating in a student-facilitated book group for three months. As the understanding of academic engagement has broadened to include relational engagement, it is necessary to examine how this theoretical construct impacts reading instruction. While educators have long known learning is social, classroom success is most often measured by independent achievement rather than by social engagement. For these reasons, it …
The Principal’S Role In Expanding Multicultural Understandings In Predominantly White, Rural, Middle School Grades, Jacquelynne Chase
The Principal’S Role In Expanding Multicultural Understandings In Predominantly White, Rural, Middle School Grades, Jacquelynne Chase
Educational Studies Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to explore the principal’s role in expanding multicultural understandings in predominantly White, rural, middle school grades. A review of the literature provided information on three areas: (a) benefits of expanding multicultural understandings, (b) implementing multicultural understandings, and (c) school leaders’ role. The literature did not include information to address a prevalent problem in Massachusetts: Principals of rural, predominantly White schools with middle grades typically do not consider expanding multicultural understandings a priority. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study used a closed-response survey and in-depth interviews with principals across Massachusetts. The survey was sent to …
What Can A Studio Approach To Teaching Tell Us About The Academic And Social Learning Of Middle School Students? An Exploration Of Student Understanding Of How Making Art Supports Their Academic And Social Learning., Maureen Creegan- Quinquis, Maureen A. Creegan-Quinquis
What Can A Studio Approach To Teaching Tell Us About The Academic And Social Learning Of Middle School Students? An Exploration Of Student Understanding Of How Making Art Supports Their Academic And Social Learning., Maureen Creegan- Quinquis, Maureen A. Creegan-Quinquis
Educational Studies Dissertations
This study explores the types of social and academic learning typically overlooked in public school education. Art-based approaches to academic learning have been labeled as“fluff.” Education policymakers hold a biased view of the arts. When asked to consider art as a viable epistemology, cognition theorists have dismissed art as irrational. These biased views have contributed to the marginalization of the field of art education. The purpose of this study was to question this bias through an art-based studio approach to research. The goal was to explore how middle school students understand the role of visual arts in their own academic …
Unlocking The Potential For Every Teacher To Lead: A Phenomenological Study Of Informal Teacher Leadership, Jennifer M. Martin
Unlocking The Potential For Every Teacher To Lead: A Phenomenological Study Of Informal Teacher Leadership, Jennifer M. Martin
Educational Studies Dissertations
This qualitative study of informal teacher leaders used a phenomenological method of research to investigate the lived experiences of teachers who have led in schools without a formal title or position of leadership. The study used a mixed methods approach to gathering data including a survey of 111 secondary educators in Eastern Massachusetts and 10 interviews with informal teacher leaders at the high school and middle school levels. The study inquired about how informal teacher leaders understand the concept of teacher leadership, what motivates and prepares them for leadership, the factors and conditions that encourage or discourage engagement in informal …
The Leadership Of Principals And Their Influence On Student Learning In Public And Private Schools In Tripura, India, Pinto Paul
Educational Studies Dissertations
Previous studies of leadership have shown that principal leadership is the single most influential factor in student learning, next to classroom teaching. They provided information that can be used for creating, supporting, and sustaining principal leadership practices to increase student learning. This study identified the factors and conditions that influence the leadership practices of principals, the various ways principals say that they influence student learning, and the challenges they face in helping others to improve student learning in Tripura. Northeast India. These data were drawn from open-ended questions used in in-depth face-to-face interviews with six public school principals and a …
Practitioner Research In Schools: Revealing The Efficacy Agency Cycle, Edward Resnick
Practitioner Research In Schools: Revealing The Efficacy Agency Cycle, Edward Resnick
Educational Studies Dissertations
Years of high stakes testing and managerial directives to improve student test scores created a trend of teachers’ declining sense of efficacy and agency. Researchers have yet to examine the perceptions of teachers following requirements to improve student engagement and school climate in an effort to improve academic performance following the authorization of local and national educational accountability reforms. The purpose of this study is to examine how teachers perceive their efficacy and agency in response to the addition of nonacademic measures and the requirement of documented input from teachers and other stakeholders into educational policy planning procedures. Veteran K-12 …
An Examination Of The Instruction Of Religion Clause Issues In Massachusetts Teacher Education Programs, Matthew E. Henry
An Examination Of The Instruction Of Religion Clause Issues In Massachusetts Teacher Education Programs, Matthew E. Henry
Educational Studies Dissertations
The prevailing research, as well as reported complaints of academic, civic, personal, and social harm, indicates that public school teachers do not exhibit the professional knowledge, skills, and attitudes grounded in the religion clauses of the U.S. Constitution. This study investigated how TEPs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts document their instruction of preservice teachers on religion clause issues as they apply to grade 6-12 content area pedagogy, curriculum, and professional ethos. The institutional documents presented to preservice teachers were collected from four teacher education programs in the Commonwealth. An evaluation tool— synthesized from the leading scholarship and research on the …
A Tradesperson’S Transition To Vocational Technical (Vt) Teaching, Susan J. Sylvia
A Tradesperson’S Transition To Vocational Technical (Vt) Teaching, Susan J. Sylvia
Educational Studies Dissertations
This qualitative study examined survey and interview data collected from tradespeople who transitioned to vocational technical (VT) teaching in regional vocational technical schools in Massachusetts. This study included two research questions that inquired about how tradespeople’s prior experiences, beliefs, and thoughts influenced or inspired them to pursue a transition to vocational technical (VT) teaching and about how their anticipated transitional experiences aligned with their actual transitional experiences. The survey phase included 170 respondents. Survey responses provided an overview of participants, which was integral in identifying four interview participants who were digitally recorded during one-to-one interview sessions. A multiple Case Study …
Discovering The Leader Within: An Autoethnophenomenographic Study Of Mindfulness In Educational Leadership, Alyssa Fraser
Discovering The Leader Within: An Autoethnophenomenographic Study Of Mindfulness In Educational Leadership, Alyssa Fraser
Educational Studies Dissertations
This qualitative study combined autoethnographic and phenomenological methods to examine a researcher-leader’s attempt to cultivate cognitive, relational, and emotional capacities through regular mindfulness practice, and how the cultivation of such capacities aligns with the enactment of leadership. The interrogation of lived experience and self-analysis was entered with the intention to better understand the promise of mindfulness as a resource for the development of educational leaders. This study explored the perceived connections between mindfulness practice and the enactment of educational leadership by examining internal and external perspectives of an individual leader’s practice. Methods of self-observation, including both interval and occurrence recording …
Full Circle: A Portraiture Study Of Three Successful Indigenous Educators And Community Leaders Who Experience Personal Renewal In Their Practice Of Cultural Restoration, Kathrin W. Mccarthy
Full Circle: A Portraiture Study Of Three Successful Indigenous Educators And Community Leaders Who Experience Personal Renewal In Their Practice Of Cultural Restoration, Kathrin W. Mccarthy
Educational Studies Dissertations
This qualitative inquiry uses the narrative methodology of portraiture to explore how the experiences of three successful Native educators and community leaders can contribute to the adult learning and development literature. In portraiture study the researcher uses diverse methods of gathering data, including interviews, observations of participants, and participant artifacts to co-construct a story of each participant’s life. Participants’ portraits were analyzed using well-established adult learning theories including Erickson’s developmental lifespan concept of generativity, Lave and Wenger’s concept of situated learning and communities of practice; Wlodkowski’s concepts of motivation and culture; Belenky and her colleagues’ conceptions of voice as development; …
Middle School Teacher Collaboration: The Intersection Of Teacher Domain And Administrative Purview, Jessica Rintoul
Middle School Teacher Collaboration: The Intersection Of Teacher Domain And Administrative Purview, Jessica Rintoul
Educational Studies Dissertations
This study examined the experiences and perspectives of twelve urban public middle school teachers and one focused instructional coach in one district in a New England state involved in a district-mandated change to professional learning communities as their form of teacher collaboration. It explored teachers’ reasons for engaging in collaboration, their understanding of the administration’s expectations for their collaboration, the factors and conditions that influenced their collaborative work, and the perceived effects of collaboration on their teaching practices and professional identity. This qualitative phenomenological study employed a purposeful sampling strategy and both interviews and field observations to uncover teachers’ perceptions …
Navigating The New American Classroom: How Adjunct Faculty Empower Themselves To Reach Out To The New Diverse Population Of Students, Yvonne Macrae
Navigating The New American Classroom: How Adjunct Faculty Empower Themselves To Reach Out To The New Diverse Population Of Students, Yvonne Macrae
Educational Studies Dissertations
With widened access to higher education, and a rise in the enrollment of diverse students, it is increasingly important to understand the experiences of the adjunct faculty members who teach these students. While a number of studies have been conducted on adjunct faculty, most of them focus only on the challenges they face in higher education in general. Few studies have been conducted specifically on their experiences teaching business and management courses in a college of professional studies and/or continuing education. In this qualitative study, thirteen adjuncts with 4 to 30 years of teaching experience in two different universities were …
Masculinities, Gendered Expression, And The Social, Emotional, And Academic Well-Being Of High School Boys, Cynthia Bazinet
Masculinities, Gendered Expression, And The Social, Emotional, And Academic Well-Being Of High School Boys, Cynthia Bazinet
Educational Studies Dissertations
There has been longstanding concern over the seemingly intractable problem of boys’ academic achievement. Despite extensive research, there is little consensus among researchers and educators regarding best practices and approaches in mitigating and remediating the problem. This mixed-methods study sought to illuminate the issue further by focusing on the meaningful lived experiences of six young men aged 18 to 24 who attended and graduated from a central Massachusetts public high school. The study asked participants to reflect through prompted writing upon the stresses and pressures as well as the factors and conditions that affected their abilities to manage their performativities …
The Theatre Missionary: Exploring The Early Career Teaching Experiences Of Theatre Educators Through Artistic Inquiry, Robert Andrew Strickland
The Theatre Missionary: Exploring The Early Career Teaching Experiences Of Theatre Educators Through Artistic Inquiry, Robert Andrew Strickland
Educational Studies Dissertations
For educators entering a fine arts classroom for the first time the transition can be quite difficult. Fine arts teachers are often the only specialists in their subject area at a school, placing them in a new situation without a mentor to guide them through the process. The difficulties can be exacerbated by the ideological, financial, and social marginalization of the arts in many schools. Despite the challenges faced by new fine arts educators, little research has focused specifically on their transitions into K-12 classrooms. To explore these transitional experiences this study was guided by the research question: How do …
Byot And Me: Teacher Perceptions Of A Bring Your Own Technology Initiative, Ilana Jones
Byot And Me: Teacher Perceptions Of A Bring Your Own Technology Initiative, Ilana Jones
Educational Studies Dissertations
BYOT and Me: Teacher Perceptions of a Bring Your Own Technology Initiative Ilana Jones Abstract Educational institutions have begun to implement Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT also referred to as Bring Your Own Device or BYOD) initiatives. The purpose of a BYOT implementation is to encourage active student learning resulting in increased student achievement through the use of personal, mobile technology devices. To achieve implementation success, school-leaders and teachers must develop effective strategies to manage the integration of BYOT into classroom teaching practices. The purpose of this research was to explore teacher perceptions regarding the implementation of a school-based BYOT …
Making Voices Visible: Teacher Research In A Community College Early Childhood Teacher Education Program, Debra Murphy
Making Voices Visible: Teacher Research In A Community College Early Childhood Teacher Education Program, Debra Murphy
Educational Studies Dissertations
Teacher research has been included in university and graduate teacher education programs for the past 2 decades. Recently, associate degree programs have also begun to engage their students in teacher research. What happens when community college early childhood students conduct teacher research as a course assignment? This study involved 8 former community college early childhood education students who had recently completed teacher research projects as part of their coursework in 1 of 3 different courses. Data sources included students’ written reports of teacher research, classroom field notes, photographs of student data, and interviews with each participant. The study was informed …
The Social Intelligence Of Principals: Links To Teachers' Continuous Improvement, Joan Mcquade
The Social Intelligence Of Principals: Links To Teachers' Continuous Improvement, Joan Mcquade
Educational Studies Dissertations
Despite multiple efforts to reform 21st education to better meet the needs of all students, school improvement successes have been sporadic and debatable. Research suggests that significant improvement lies within the purview of teachers and principals, and this current research provided the underpinnings for the study. Based on neuroscience research and the continuous improvement concept, I examined linkages between principals' social intelligence and teachers' continuous improvement. Using a mixed method sequential explanatory research approach, the study consisted of four phases that employed both quantitative and qualitative measures. Massachusetts' principals (127) and teachers (331) were contacted by email to participate in …
I Am A Teacher Walking A Mile In Her Shoes: A Narrative Study Of Teacher Identity, Amy Parmenter
I Am A Teacher Walking A Mile In Her Shoes: A Narrative Study Of Teacher Identity, Amy Parmenter
Educational Studies Dissertations
Using an adapted life story interview process, narratives of six female mid-career elementary teachers were collected and analyzed. The stories describe the values and beliefs of these educators as they reflect on their experience being a teacher employed in one of three public elementary schools undergoing reform. Findings suggest professional development for teachers that cultivates a collaborative school culture and develops reflective dialogue and evaluative thinking is beneficial for schools in the midst of change. Author keywords: teacher identity; community of practice; learning community; life story; public school; professional development; reflective dialogue; evaluative thinking; change; elementary education; educational change; teachers--in-service …
Culturally Responsive Professional Development For Latinas In Family Child Care: A Dissertation, Jody Figuerido
Culturally Responsive Professional Development For Latinas In Family Child Care: A Dissertation, Jody Figuerido
Educational Studies Dissertations
Latina Family Child Care (FCC) Educators provide early education and care (EEC) for children in their homes. High quality EEC programs, including the FCC setting, help children form a firm foundation for future learning, resulting in positive outcomes. In order to provide this level of programming, educators must participate in specialized training related to early childhood education. Unfortunately, the literature provides limited guidance regarding professional development that meets the needs of the diverse adult learner in the field of early childhood education. The focus of this qualitative study is to articulate the elements of culturally responsive professional development for the …
Portuguese As A Foreign Language: Teaching And Learning In The United States: A Dissertation, Celia Bianconi
Portuguese As A Foreign Language: Teaching And Learning In The United States: A Dissertation, Celia Bianconi
Educational Studies Dissertations
This dissertation reviewed the history of foreign language education in the United States relating it to political and economic world events. A quantitative study and a hypothesis generating case study revealed the motivation of learners of Portuguese as a foreign language. Portuguese teachers in higher education in the United States were surveyed and three recently published Portuguese textbooks were analyzed. The results showed that the main reasons that motivate students to learn Portuguese as a foreign language are interest in Brazilian culture, plans to travel in a Portuguese-speaking country, familiarity with Spanish language, skills needed to reach professional goals and …
Behind The Scenes: Understanding Teacher Perspectives On Technology Integration In A Suburban District Technology Initiative: A Dissertation, John Woolard
Educational Studies Dissertations
Efforts to prepare students with skills necessary to compete in a 21st Century global, digital economy require technological literacy, but many teachers are inhibited by antiquated models of education and epistemological beliefs that leave them reluctant to integrate educational technologies in their content instruction (Dunn & Rakes, 2010; Mouza & Wong, 2009). At the most basic level, apart from time constraints influenced by contradictory school improvement plans, elementary school teachers must contend with the barriers known to hinder the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) including: access, familiarity, training and support (Collins & Halverson, 2009, Levin & Wadmany, 2008). …
Lesson Study: Restructuring Teacher Professional Development In The United States, Anthony G. Buono
Lesson Study: Restructuring Teacher Professional Development In The United States, Anthony G. Buono
Educational Studies Dissertations
This study reports how teachers at one suburban elementary school in the United States launched, organized, and structured lesson study, as well as how participants interpreted and perceived the lesson study experience. Additionally, it examines how lesson study supports teachers’ professional learning and the development of collaborative teacher teams. In doing so, it attempts to answer the following research questions: What does the lesson study experience look like at one elementary school in the United States? How does lesson study support and influence school based professional learning teams? How does and to what extent does the lesson study experience impact …
Whatever Works: Teaching Adults With Learning Difficulties In Adult Basic Education Programs: A Dissertation, Susan Noyes Spear
Whatever Works: Teaching Adults With Learning Difficulties In Adult Basic Education Programs: A Dissertation, Susan Noyes Spear
Educational Studies Dissertations
Research indicates that significant numbers of adult learners who attend adult basic education (ABE) programs have learning difficulties and/or learning disabilities. However, most ABE teachers have not been trained to teach students with these complex learning needs. This qualitative study, conducted through an interpretivist/constructivist lens, used in-depth individual interviews to garner the voices and experiences of ten ABE teachers as they described how they identify and manage the learning needs of their students. Results showed that ABE teachers described their practice in terms of how they identified their students' learning difficulties; their perceptions of their identity and role as an …
Teacher Transformations: A Phenomenological Study On The Effect Of Courage To Teach On Experienced Teachers' Growth And Development: A Dissertation, Kathleen M. Nollet
Teacher Transformations: A Phenomenological Study On The Effect Of Courage To Teach On Experienced Teachers' Growth And Development: A Dissertation, Kathleen M. Nollet
Educational Studies Dissertations
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of a professional development experience on ten experienced teachers who participated as a cohort in Courage to Teach. Courage to Teach, founded by Parker Palmer, is a program of quarterly retreats that foster personal and professional renewal for teachers. The program focused on renewal through deep reflection that helps teachers to investigate the inner and outer landscapes of their lives. By using seasonal themes, poetry, readings, and insights from various wisdom traditions, teachers reflect on their identity and integrity as teachers as large groups, and solitary settings.
Transforming Higher Education Through Part-Time Faculty Professional Development That Fosters Flourishing: A Dissertation, Janet Lynn Thompson
Transforming Higher Education Through Part-Time Faculty Professional Development That Fosters Flourishing: A Dissertation, Janet Lynn Thompson
Educational Studies Dissertations
This qualitative study investigates the professional development experiences part-time faculty identify as positive. The purpose is to examine how positive professional development experiences inform part-time faculty's subsequent teaching, and what relational qualities if any are present in those positive experiences. Nine part-time faculty - five women and four men - ages 27 to 64, with teaching experience ranging from 3 to 20 years, responded to questions designed from Cooperrider's Appreciative Inquiry model. Conceptual frameworks include the adult development/adult learning interface and relational theory and its application in psychological and educational settings. Participants' positive experiences and how these experiences inform their …
Influences On Professional Learning: Five Teachers' Stories, Mary Lincoln Sterling
Influences On Professional Learning: Five Teachers' Stories, Mary Lincoln Sterling
Educational Studies Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to identify and understand changes that endured in teachers' knowledge and practice after participation in professional development. Case studies were conducted with five teachers who completed a common professional development course in pedagogy.
Shaking It Up: Challenging Veteran Teachers To Change, Evelyn Baker Lang
Shaking It Up: Challenging Veteran Teachers To Change, Evelyn Baker Lang
Educational Studies Dissertations
My research, conducted at a 600 student middle school, explored the conditions and factors needed by veteran teachers to learn about and implement educational change, either mandated or teacher-initiated. Qualitative research methods used included in-depth interviews of veteran teachers and observations in classrooms, cluster meetings and professional development workshops. Five factors appeared to facilitate the change effort for this group of teachers. They are: An understanding that the change process is a challenge in itself. A school culture that is conducive to change. A school principal who supports, inspires and encourages teachers. Appropriate professional development is offered to teachers. Teachers …