Education Commons^™

Culturally Responsive Literacy Instruction And Social–Emotional Teaching Practices For Linguistically Diverse Learners In The United States, Wing Shuen Lau

Education Dissertations

This dissertation includes two previous research studies with a central theme to sustain and advance culturally and linguistically responsive practices in literacy instruction, which are essential for promoting diversity and equity. This work highlights the need for a more holistic approach to English language teaching that integrates culturally responsive teaching and social–emotional learning. Culturally responsive teaching recognizes the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity in the classroom. Social–emotional learning focuses on developing students’ emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills, which are critical for academic success and overall well-being. Both studies call for a greater diversity of language teacher preparation curricula and …

School Related Criminal Acts, Interpersonal Problems, And Classroom Behaviors As A Function Of The Proportion Of Black Students And Black Teachers, Leanne Zaire

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

This study’s purpose was to investigate school-level behavioral outcomes in relation to the proportion of Black teachers and students in U.S. schools. Negative school outcome and academic achievement gaps are well-documented. However, many of these studies utilized small, localized populations; my research used national data and focused on the problem behaviors in school. Drawing from Critical Race Theory, I hypothesized that a greater proportion of Black teachers would reduce school student problems and negative behaviors (e.g., student verbal abuse of teachers, widespread disorder in classrooms). After receiving a restricted-use license, I utilized data from 25,818 schools from the National Teacher …

The Implementation Of Restorative Justice Practices: An Exploration Into Administrators' Experiences, Sacha Starr Helling-Christy

Education Dissertations

In this paper, transformative learning theory and restorative justice practices, as well as the empirical research done to link theory to practice, are explored. As Mezirow (2018) stated, transformative learning is “the process by which we transform problematic frames of reference (mindsets, habits of mind, meaning perspectives)—sets of assumption and expectation—to make them more inclusive, . . . open, reflective and emotionally able to change” (p. 116). In other words, people’s life experiences help shape their opinions and worldviews, and most people are resistant to change these ideas the more solidly they are planted in one’s minds as being correct. …

Leadership Influence On Collective Teacher Efficacy In Multi-Cultural Teams: A Mixed-Methods Study, Yaru Zhou

Education Dissertations

As evidence for positive effects of collective teacher efficacy on student performance and teacher well-being grow, increasing efforts have been made worldwide to understand how teachers’ beliefs in the team’s capacity form in schools. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach; 90 teachers from seven international schools in China participated in the survey, and eight teachers from these schools joined focus group interviews. This paper seeks to understand the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of instructional school leadership and collective efficacy, and how individual leaders’ character strength of encouragement and structural factors, including school levels and cultural dimensions, affect the relationship. Quantitative …

Using The Community Of Inquiry Framework To Examine Instructor Strategies For Emergency Remote Online Teaching During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Elizabeth A. Ebersole

Education Dissertations

The pivot to emergency remote learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges for both students and instructors in the majority of higher education settings. Using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework and self-efficacy theory, this study examined the teaching practices of higher education instructors during emergency remote online learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic during Spring 2020. Regarding the three CoI presences, both students and instructors reported high teaching presence and high cognitive presence, as well as moderate social presence during emergency remote online learning. Correlations were found between student CoI scores and student satisfaction and perception …

Video Analysis In Educator Preparation And Its Impact On Teacher Performance Assessment, Kirsten Koetje

Education Dissertations

The researcher analyzed data from two online cohorts of preservice teachers at a small, liberal arts university in Washington State. The researcher conducted a correlational analysis to determine if standardized writing scores and the quantity of video analysis conducted during the educator preparation program (EPP) predicted performance on the national Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA). Contrary to the researcher’s hypothesis, academic writing ability did not have a predictive positive relationship with edTPA performance, r = -.004, p = .98. The total quantity of video analysis, both of self and of other, resulted in a statistically significant positive correlation with …

A Case Study Of Communities Of Practice In Schools, Stephanie Ann Knipp

Education Dissertations

Abstract

This research is an examination of a community of practice, how it generates teacher social capital, and the implications for school leadership. Grounded in situated learning theory and social capital theory, this case study of teachers in a small school analyzes how communities of practice can generate teacher social capital, and how school leaders can help foster its growth. Situated learning theory is creating meaning from the real activities of daily living, and its implications for educational research and application are extensive. Developed by anthropologist Jean Lave and computer scientist Etienne Wenger in the 1990s, situated learning theory is …

Student Perception Of Digital Technology Usage In Higher Education Classrooms At Seattle Pacific University, Jason E. Profit

Education Dissertations

Abstract

Student Perception of Digital Technology Usage in Higher

Education Classrooms at Seattle Pacific University

By Jason Profit

Chairperson of the Dissertation Committee:

Dr. Nyaradzo Mvududu

School of Education

Since 2004, EDUCAUSE has been assessing the use of digital devices in higher education classrooms. Seattle Pacific University (SPU) had never participated in an ECAR Student Technology Survey until April, 2017. This study aimed to establish a baseline understanding of how SPU undergraduate students compare to other small, private, liberal arts institutions in regard to technology usage in the classroom. The broader purpose of this study was to add to the …

Educator Mindsets And The Impacts To The Teacher-Student Relationship: An Exploratory Case Study, Tammy Fisher Huson

Education Dissertations

Teacher-student relationships (TSR) have long been demonstrated to have significant impact on student outcomes. There has been far less research, however, focused on identifying the specific mindsets that educators’ hold which influence their actions toward students. As relationships are situated and contextual and qualitative in nature, this case study sought to explore the specific qualities of effective TSR through the perspectives of both educators (n = 31) and students (n = 65) in two alternative schools in Northwest Canada. Staff members in both the middle school and the high school participated in a professional development TSR intervention designed to coach …

Design, Implementation And Perceptions Of A Preservice Mentor Development Program, Jill R. Heiney-Smith

Education Dissertations

Teacher education programs support their mentor teachers through a variety of resources and professional development, but generally lack a dedicated curriculum for pre-service mentoring. This study was designed to learn what kinds of resources, tools, trainings, and experiences would better support mentor teachers in a teacher education (or pre-service) program. The study was grounded in social learning theories and empirical research on mentoring, as well as research on teacher induction and professional development. Mixed-methods data were collected in three sequential phases with a total sample of n = 199 mentor teachers. Results indicate that mentors have sophisticated expectations for their …

Differences In Performance On A Commercially Available Competency-Based Exam Between Traditionally And Alternatively Prepared Teacher Candidates: A Causal Comparative Study, Lara Denise Cole

Education Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Alternative route teacher education programs have increased to address personnel shortages in key areas such as special education, mathematics, and science. Alternative route programs may serve as a means to address such shortages, but require evaluation to ensure that candidates emerging from these programs demonstrate skills commensurate with those that complete traditional teacher education programs. Although studies examining aspects of alternative route programs exist, few studies comparing alternative route programs with traditional programs have been conducted. Differences in definitions used to describe alternative routes programs compound efforts to compare programs. Nevertheless, research reviewed compared outcomes for alternative and traditional …

Reflective Assessment, Feedback And Academic Achievement In High School Mathematics, Nalline S. Baliram

Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of metacognitive strategies and content-specific feedback on student achievement in high school mathematics. Participants in the study consisted of a convenience sample of honors geometry students in grades 9 and 10 in a private high school located in Daytona Beach, Florida. Beyond answering the specific research questions raised in the study, an additional aim was to contribute to the growing body of knowledge pertaining to effective ways to use metacognitive instruction and provide effective content-specific feedback to improve student achievement and learning.

A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control-group design with repeated-measures was …

Step Away From The Podium: A Year Of “Untethered” Teaching, Ryan Ingersoll, Robbin Riedy

SPU Works

Our experiment in the untethered classroom is not about the technology—it is not about using the latest, neatest gadgets. This is about facilitating deeper learning; learning that goes beyond rote memorization and surface recall. This year Ryan Ingersoll, the Head of Library Technology, and Robbin Riedy, the Assistant Director of Educational Technology and Media, are facilitating three faculty learning communities on “untethered” teaching. These Communities of Practice are primarily utilizing iPads, Apple TVs and an app called Splashtop in order to re-imagine the classroom in a more collaborative and relationship friendly fashion. Discussions that we have with our faculty include …

The Effects Of Reflective Thinking On Middle School Students’ Academic Achievement And Perceptions Of Related Instructional Practices: A Mixed Methods Study, David Denton

Theses and Dissertations

The problem investigated in this study was whether instructional practices, which characterize reflective thinking, aided in the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment at the classroom level. Participants included 259 seventh grade students, 126 female and 133 male, from 10 intact social studies classrooms. The investigator used an explanatory mixed methods design, which included a quantitative and qualitative phase.

The first phase involved testing the effects of an intervention, administered for 23 days, on students’ academic achievement according to a content-specific test. In addition, this phase involved a questionnaire used to assess student perceptions of the intervention. Results of the …

Collaboration: Advocacy For School Change, Cynthia Strong

SPU Works

Adolescent literacy is a looming issue in secondary schools. Being able to read, comprehend, and write is imperative for students to understand the content of their classes and textbooks. According to Michael Kamil, professor of psychological studies in education and learning at Stanford University, "we almost need a trauma center to take care of this problem, it's that serious for kids that can't read...It's the number-one factor standing in the way of their graduating" (Manzo-Kennedy). Given the importance of literacy, this article provides a story of how a high school media specialist on the east coast sought to collaborate with …