Education Commons^™

Letters To Myself ~ Reflections Of A New Teacher ~ A Curriculum Of Self, Sarah Brittany S. Greneker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a nontraditional, very creative approach to dissertation writing. Using reflective poetic inquiry, I reflect on my experiences transitioning from pre-service to in-service teacher in the early childhood classroom. I taught for 7 years and encountered many situations that would have been beneficial to know prior to becoming a certified teacher. I explore overarching themes of coworker relationships, undergraduate program preparation, the various responsibilities, classroom environment, teacher evaluation, teacher perspective, and teacher mental health and well-being and how they each impact a teacher’s experience in the classroom. This is accomplished through the epistolary genre and letters to myself as …

“You Taught Us How To Change The World”: A Critical Autoethnography Reimagining The Future Of Education, Isabella Howard

Undergraduate Theses

As schools become more culturally and linguistically diverse, we need trained, well-prepared educators that value students for who they are, build on their backgrounds, and maintain their unique identities in the classroom. An asset-based, culturally sustaining approach to teaching incorporates theoretical grounding, a consideration of global identities, and a sociopolitical edge that allows students to thrive and think analytically. Through this approach, we can give students more confidence in their abilities as learners by activating their prior knowledge and experience to break down the content and build understanding of it, and we can connect the students to their learning, providing …

Myside Bias Shifting In The Written Arguments Of First Year Composition Students, Lezlie Christensen-Branum

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation reports on research conducted to better understand how college student writers learned to work against their own biases as they researched and wrote arguments. I conducted a review of former studies to design a curriculum that would help students avoid bias and increase their ability to write arguments tailored to specific readers in ways that accomplish their goals. This review also informed the kinds of data to be collected and analyzed in order to accomplish the research goal, which was to understand whether and how each of seven students enrolled in a composition course reduced their biases. I …

Using Cognitive Coaching To Facilitate Instructional Reflection, Brooke Walczak

Theses and Dissertations

Cognitive Coaching is a model (Costa & Garmston, 1985) designed to help teachers to become more self-directed in both their workplace and their lives. This single case study sought to analyze the effects of the Cognitive Coaching Model on instructional reflection. It also examined the coach's reflection on their strategies and how these strategies affected instructional reflection. One Reading Education graduate student conducted four coaching rounds with one veteran teacher who was teaching preschool for the first time. Data included video recordings, observational notes, Cognitive Coaching Self-Assessments, and researcher journals. This data was analyzed using a comparison/grounded theory that used …

Using Reflection To Promote Success In Community College Mathematics, Sherilin Ruth Heise

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Community college mathematics faculty have instituted changes to address inadequate preparation of incoming students to learn college-level mathematics. However, they could do more to develop student cognitive capabilities to enable underprepared students to successfully learn college mathematics. This basic qualitative study examined the perceptions of community college mathematics instructors who made their classrooms more reflective, including using reflection as an instruction activity for students entering college underprepared to learn college-level mathematics. The conceptual framework consisted of Baxter Magolda’s epistemological reflection model of college student development and Schoenfeld’s theoretical model for teaching mathematics. Open coding of interviews with 10 community college …

Reflective Conversations: Exploring Faculty’S Perceptions Of Reflection To Enhance Teaching Effectiveness, Jonna Lynn Myers

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this pragmatic qualitative research study is to examine the impact of a faculty development program’s reflection component on teaching effectiveness as perceived by the faculty participants. This study utilizes Schön’s (1983) reflective practice, which calls professionals to move from the technical rationality position of development and practice (theoretical and detached) into a reflective position (practical and applicable). Schön contends that this movement occurs by focusing on reflection in the forms of reflection-in-action, reflection-on-action, and reflective conversations. This study specifically examines the reflection component embedded into the inaugural class of the Excellence in Teaching Program (ETP) at pseudonymous …

Examining The Effects Of Reflection On Professional Identity Development In Community College Preservice Teachers, Delia Hernandez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Grounded in the constructivist theories of Dewey (1963) with learning situated as reflective practice, the study explored the impact of guided written reflection on levels of reflection, commitment to teaching and professional identity for community college preservice teachers enrolled in their first fieldwork course in a teacher education program.

Participants in the treatment group received instruction on levels of reflection using Nickel’s (2013) Levels of Deep and Surface Learning. Pre/posttest results were collected using three measures: Reflection Questionnaire (Kember & Leung, 2000), Professional Identity Status Questionnaire - PISQ-5d (Mancini, 2015), and Commitment to Teaching Scale (Van Huizen, 2000). Researcher-designed …

Music Education In A Liquid Social World: The Nuances Of Teaching With Students Of Immigrant And Refugee Backgrounds, Gabriela Ocádiz Velázquez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This integrated-article dissertation explores the multiple ways in which music teachers, community facilitators, and students engage in music teaching and learning in social contexts prone to change due to human mobility. Drawing upon Bauman’s sociological understanding of modern societies as liquid and the larger implications of processes of human mobility in schools and communities, this research focuses on exploring music education as it happens within an increasingly diversifying Canadian society.

In the first article, a philosophical research study, I conceptualize the notion of coping with discomfort as a form of response possibly experienced by music teachers. Here, I draw from …

Moments Of Reflection: A Phenomenological Study Of Preservice Teacher Reflection, Jane Ferris

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Transitioning from their training programs to their own classrooms, new teachers may feel a disconnect between what they learned and what they experience. To help with this transition and to promote teachers’ abilities to respond to the varying and unique needs of their students and schools, teacher training programs, beginning in the 1980s, have incorporated the use of reflective practice. Reflection provides teachers an opportunity to engage with their experiences in such a way that prereflective understandings, assumptions, biases, and beliefs may be identified. Reviewed literature suggests that teacher training programs do not clearly define and implement reflection instruction into …

Impact Of Reflection: A Qualitative Study Measuring The Impact Reflection Has On Teacher Effectiveness, Samuel Jones

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This research study examined current reflective practices used by kindergarten through 12^th grade teachers in a single school district in North Carolina. The study sought to identify themes regarding the impact reflection has on teacher effectiveness, with effectiveness being measured by the five teaching standards of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. I identified participants as National Board certified teachers and Non-National Board certified teachers to study the similarities and differences in reflective practices between the two groups. A questionnaire, self-assessment, and interviews were utilized to collect participant data. This study’s data showed that teachers from both groups …

Teacher Reflective Practice And The Influence On Student Achievement, Laura Wyatt

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This research study explored in-service teacher reflective practices. Data were collected via survey and interview to answer questions about how teachers define and engage in reflective practice, how teachers develop as reflective practitioners, and how reflective practice influences student achievement. The survey population included 170 elementary and middle level teachers in a school district in the upstate of South Carolina. Student achievement was based upon English language arts and math standardized testing data. Likert items explored the frequency, social context, and modes of reflective practice in which teachers engage. Open-response items provided teachers the opportunity to further describe practices and …

Coaching For Change: Teacher Perceptions Of The Impact Of Personalized, Reflective Professional Development, Emily Davis

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Instructional coaching has become a popular form of professional development in schools. Instructional coaches are often teacher leaders with years of classroom experience but little formal training in working with adult learners. This research examined the experiences of instructional coaches and the supports they perceived were needed for success in a coaching relationship. This research also examined the experiences of the teachers being coached in order to determine teacher perception of coaching as effective professional development. Data analysis explored the themes of objectivity, credibility, listening, and communication within the coaching relationship.

Teachers' Reflection On Their Beliefs And Question-Asking Practices During Mathematics Instruction, Kaili Takiyah Hardamon

Wayne State University Dissertations

Teachers’ daily instructional practices are a critical component in creating a rich and meaningful educational experience for students. Thus, factors that inform instructional practices are of particular importance and interest to education researchers and other stakeholders. Beliefs about teaching and learning are a known factor influencing teachers’ instructional practices (Ernest, 1989). This study focused on a specific instructional practice, question-asking, which has a profound impact on students’ experience with mathematics (Weiland, Hudson, and Amador (2014). Understanding the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and practice helps to make sense of teachers’ decision-making processes, particularly as they choose questions to ask students during …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Reflective Practices Within An International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, Gail C. Hardwick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The International Baccalaureate (IB) standards recognize reflection as an integral part of the framework and the fabric of the Primary Years Programme school, as it is embedded in the foundational standards and practices of the inquiry-based IB teaching model. However, teachers in an IB Primary Years Programme school located in the southeast United States struggled with being reflective practitioners. Guided by John Dewey's reflective thought, the purpose of this bounded qualitative exploratory case study was to examine teacher perceptions of reflection practices in an IB Primary Years Programme school. Research questions were drafted to ask about teachers' perceptions of their …

The Experiential Journey Of Teacher-Scholars: “If You’Re Not A Teacher, You Just Don’T Get It”, Ashleigh L. Pelafigue

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The Center of Graduate Schools (2015) published a report detailing applications, enrollment, and trends in graduate schools across the nation showing that approximately one third of all first-time graduate school applicants in master’s degree programs utilizing the GRE assessment identify their career path in either business or teacher education. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of classroom teachers who concurrently pursued graduate studies to earn a master’s degree in education and to understand how adult learning provided opportunities for personal growth and the attainment of professional goals. Individual interviews and two focus groups were conducted …

Does Seeing Matter? Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Use Of Self-Video As A Tool For Self-Reflection In The Study Of Their Own Practice, Lynn Navin

Dissertations

The use of video for teacher learning is a useful tool to support reflection and self-analysis. Video records have been successful in supporting teachers in learning to notice student thinking, a strong component in instructional expertise. The use of video provides permanent records of classroom lessons that can be viewed repeatedly (Sherin, 2001, 2007; van Es & Sherin, 2002, 2008.) It allows deep engagement and collaborative learning. Including the use of video in teacher preparation courses has successfully contributed to increasing pre-service teachers’ attending and analyzing skills, necessary components of professional vision, (Santagata & Guarani, 2011; Stürmer, Könings, & Seidel, …

An Inquiry Into The Development Of Future Speech-Language Pathologists: A Mixed Methods Study, Kimberly Plotts

Theses and Dissertations

Upon graduating college, many students seek employment within the degree area in which they obtained. Employers are seeking skills in individuals that encompass interpersonal, technical, analytical, personal, and professional abilities. As with many careers, the allied health field requires content specific knowledge and specialized skills, which indicate sufficient work readiness. The allied health field of speech-language pathology is touted as one of the fastest growing professions in this decade and is in demand. To become a speech-language pathologist, one must complete a master's program and supervised clinical practicums. Despite participating in a master's program with quality curricula, having supervision by …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Educational Games That Keep Score Of Cooperative Performances, Theodore Alden Wohlfarth

Dissertations

The scoring systems used in traditional sports and games are founded on the zero-sum premise that players are on opposite sides and one side can win only if the other side loses. These scoring systems may be effective at nurturing zero-sum mindsets and providing data for assessing performance in win-lose relationships. If so, games that use different scoring systems can be used to facilitate the development of collaborative mindsets, nurture win-win skills between diverse groups, and enable objective self-assessment of performances in non-zero-sum events when engaging with those on “other sides.” Although economic game theory has rich reservoirs of research …

A Quasi-Experimental Research Study Examining The Impact Of Reflection On Self-Efficacy In Graduate Design Students, Christina Marie Chateauvert

Wayne State University Dissertations

While the concept of reflection is not new to education, researchers suggest that students be given more space to engage in meaning-making activities (Sambrook & Willmott, 2014). In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis placed in education on self-reflection. In part, because of Donald Schön’s (1983, 1987) work on reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action. Schön’s view of reflection-in¬-action puts students in the “midst of action,” reshaping the problem or experience, and making fresh decisions to guide next steps. Reflection-on-action allows students to think back on what has occurred and how that experience will shape future decisions. Taking a similar approach …

University Educators' Instructional Choices And Their Learning Styles Within A Lesson Framework, Lucille Mazo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research on learning styles often focuses on the learning style of the student; however, the learning style of the educator may affect instructional choices and student learning. Few studies have addressed the lack of knowledge that exists in universities with respect to educators' learning styles and a lesson framework (development, delivery, and debriefing). This sequential mixed methods study explored university educators' conscious, reflective instructional choices as they related to learning styles application within a lesson. Two theoretical frameworks and one conceptual framework drew on Kolb's experiential learning theory; Bloom's, Reigeluth's, and Gagné's instructional design theories and models; and Fiddler and …

Teachers’ Third Eye: Using Video Elicitation Interviews To Facilitate Kuwaiti Early Childhood Preservice Teachers’ Reflections, Hessa Alsuhail

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative descriptive study explored the experiences of three Kuwaiti pre-service teachers with guided reflection and the extent to which video technology facilitates reflection. The data sources were semi-structured and video-elicited interviews, field notes, and researcher reflective journals. The study was guided by two research questions: In what ways does video elicitation facilitate Kuwaiti pre-service teachers’ reflections? What do Kuwaiti pre-service teachers reflect about? I used Rogoff’s Sociocultural Theory (2003; 1995) as my conceptual lens for this study which stresses the importance of cultural contexts in all areas of education. I developed a concept I call “third-eye” thinking to define …

Exploring Student Interaction And Reflection Through The Use Of Digital Backchannel Discussions, Heather J. Donnelly

Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative multicase study utilizing content analysis and qualitative coding techniques was conducted to explore the influence of the use of digital backchannels on student interaction and reflection during an in-class discussion. Data were collected from six front channel transcripts and twenty backchannel transcripts, which resulted from six backchannel discussions that were conducted in three different teacher education courses. Additional data were gathered from participant interviews of seven students who were enrolled in the participating courses. The outcome of the research indicates two main themes developed in regards to the influence of digital backchannels on student interactivity: (1) The content …

Applying Reflection And Self-Assessment Practices To Integrative Stem Lessons: A Design-Based Research Study To Develop An Instrument For Elementary Practitioners, Diana V. Cantu

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study utilized design-based research (DBR) to develop an empirically substantiated local instruction theory about the use of self-assessment and reflection in creating and assessing integrative STEM lessons. The research goals that guided this study are:

1. Determine the initial STEM self-efficacy level for the study's participants. 2. Utilize theories of reflection and self-assessment to create an instrument for preparing and assessing an integrative STEM lesson. 3. Refine the instrument through two Design-Based Research macro cycles to ensure appropriate content and applicability for use in a K-2 elementary classroom.

A conjectured local instruction theory was developed through the study's literature …

Breathe To Understand, Maxine Swisa

MA TESOL Collection

BREATHE is an acronym for Breathe, Reflect, Empathize, Accept, Thank, Hearten, Engage. The addition of Understand allows for a holistic approach to living a healthy and balanced life both inside and outside the classroom. This paper took form as a result of my personal, spiritual journey, as well as my teaching practice. I noticed that the majority of my students enjoyed experiential activities that included time and space for self-reflection, relaxation and meditation. I began looking for books, seminars, and workshops that explored these areas. Deepak Chopra, Jonathan Kabat-Zinn, Dan Siegel, Eckhart Tolle, et al. offer insights into the benefits …

Promoting Critical Thinking And Reflection In A Capstone Course For Adult Learners, James-Etta Goodloe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

University instructors can improve how they promote critical thinking in the classroom by fostering reflective writing habits with students. Midwest University requires all undergraduate students to complete 2 capstone courses, which are framed around a critical thinking curriculum. The skills of analyzing and reflecting on experiences are important components of critical thinking. Despite this acknowledged importance of critical thinking, there is currently no structured training for instructors of the capstone course on how to develop critical thinking abilities among adult students. The purpose of this case study was to examine the perceptions of the instructors of the capstone courses and …

Learning To See, Seeing To Learn: The Learning Journey Of Three Pre-Service Teachers In A Video Club Setting, Catherine Moore

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study sought to develop a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of professional growth in pre-service teachers during their final practicum. The research was situated in a primary school and involved three pre-service teachers with widely differing backgrounds who brought differing experiences to the practicum. The study identified personal and contextual variables that affected the pre-service teachers’ professional growth and explored how professional discourse within a learning community of peers, informed by multiple perspectives on teaching practice that were facilitated by video, influenced professional growth.

This qualitative research project used a broad phenomenological approach in that the methods used were …

A Case Study Examining Teacher Responses To Principal Feedback Of Class Observations, Sean Kelly

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

Four teachers from each of the four major academic disciplines: Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and English Language from a suburban high school in the Southeastern United States participated in a study which examined teacher responses to principal feedback of class room observations. Each of the 16 teachers were observed on three occasions and provided feedback. Teachers were also interviewed using a semi-structured questioning format and asked to keep a journal during the study.

Findings of the study demonstrated that teachers who participated in the study most often responded to principal feedback of class observations by changing behaviors, considering changing behaviors, …

The Voices Of Higher Education Service-Learning Directors: A Qualitative Inductive Analysis, Kelsey Woodard

Dissertations

This research explored issues surrounding service-learning directors (SLDs) within higher education institutions, including who they are, how they became SLDs, and what they experience in the role. Qualitative data were drawn from in-depth interviews of 11 SLDs, as well as review of their vitaes. A qualitative inductive analysis was conducted in which important patterns, themes, and interrelationships that emerged from the data were coded into a category system of major themes and subthemes.

Data analysis revealed the following major themes: (1.0): all the SLDs came from various helping profession backgrounds, with interesting journeys to become a SLD; (2.0) many SLD’s …

Investigating The Impact Of Formal Reflective Activities On Skill Adaptation In A Work-Related Instrumental Learning Setting, Kevin M. Roessger

Theses and Dissertations

In work-related, instrumental learning contexts the role of reflective activities is unclear. Kolb's (1985) experiential learning theory and Mezirow's transformative learning theory (2000) predict skill-adaptation as a possible outcome. This prediction was experimentally explored by manipulating reflective activities and assessing participants' response and error rates when an instrumentally learned skill is applied in a novel way (skill-adaptation). Participants were randomly assigned to three conditions (interference, reflection, or critical reflection) using three blocking variables: (a) gender, (b) age, and (c) reflective propensity. Participants then completed a behavioral skills training program with embedded reflective activities. Afterwards, participants were asked to complete a …

Insights Into Reflection And Pre-Service Teacher Education: An Hermeneutic Phenomenology, Andrea M. Gelfuso

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With recent calls for teacher education programs to increase both the quantity and quality of field experiences (NCATE, 2010), it is important for teacher educators to understand how pre-service teachers create meaning from those experiences. Reflection is a mode of thought historically associated with creating "warranted assertabilities" (Dewey, 1938, p.15) from experience. Therefore, reflection is a common component of many teacher education programs (Darling-Hammond, 2010). Despite the abundance of research that has been conducted about reflection and teacher education, little is understood about the process of supported reflection as it is experienced by pre-service teachers. In this hermeneutic phenomenology, I …