Education Commons^™

Developing Social And Emotional Skills In Early Childhood Instruction: A Delphi Study, Tess Breen

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to explore social and emotional learning in early childhood instruction with an emphasis on identifying the methods expert early childhood teachers use to support and promote the development of empathy and emotion regulation, to have the teachers rate the impact of these methods, and to identify the specific activities used to implement the six most highly rated methods.

Methodology: This study utilized the Delphi method which is an iterative process used to collect and distill the judgments of experts using a series of questionnaires interspersed with feedback. Fourteen participants recommended strategies to …

The Impact Of Male Gender Dissonance On Women’S Potential Eligibility For Advancement To The Position Of High School Principal, Kristen Lee Harris

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative, replication study was to discover what behaviors female administrators exhibit that may prompt male administrators with whom they work in California public education to demonstrate behaviors associated with gender dissonance and also to determine what impact these dissonant behaviors may have on women’s potential eligibility for advancement to the position of high school principal.

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study examined the experience of six male and six female high school principals in Riverside County, California. Purposive criterion sampling method was applied to identify participants based on delimiting criteria. The researcher collected and coded data …

Why Parents In San Bernardino Choose Public Charter Schools Over Traditional Public Schools, Robert Moss

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify and describe the attributes of public charter schools considered important for the selection of a charter school as perceived by the parents of charter school students. A second purpose of this study was to identify the sources parents used to inform their decision to enroll their child in a charter school.

Methodology. This qualitative study was accomplished by interviewing parents of public charter school students in three districts within San Bernardino County. The interview consisted of nine open-ended questions and each interview was recorded to ensure accuracy of …

The Unsung Heroes And Silent Partners Of The Educational World, Gillian Schneider

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed method study was to identify and describe what paraeducators perceive as factors that lead to effective and sustainable engagement in special education special day classes, and identify what strategies are effective for encouraging discretionary effort as perceived by paraeducators.

Methodology: The participants in the study were 69 paraeducators employed by a Southern California County Office of Education. Participants partook in two research instruments: (a) a 37-question survey and (b) a semi-structured interview.

Findings: Data based on the mixed method analysis revealed that paraeducators are highly committed employees who want to know that they are …

Best Practices In 21st Century Learning Environments: A Study Of Two P21 Exemplar Schools, Susan Brown

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study is to identify and describe best practices related to 21^st century skill development in two elementary schools outside of California that have been recognized as exemplary by the Partnership for 21^st Century Learning (P21).

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study sought to investigate and understand the experiences of those associated with the phenomenon of exemplar schools, namely teachers, staff and parents in these elite elementary schools, as the elementary level sets the foundation for 21^st century learning. Two schools were selected for the study based on the criteria that they had …

A Phenomenological Study Of Exemplary Elementary School Principals Leading Through Conversational Intimacy, Interactivity, Inclusion, And Intentionality, Chris Powell

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to describe the behaviors that exemplary elementary school principals practice to lead their organizations through conversation using Groysberg and Slind’s (2012b) four elements of conversational leadership: intimacy, interactivity, inclusion, and intentionality.

Methodology: This study followed a qualitative, phenomenological methodology to describe the lived experiences of exemplary elementary school principals. A sample of 10 principals was selected from the target sample that included Mono, Inyo, San Bernardino, and Kern Counties in California. Interviews were conducted following a protocol developed by a group of peer researchers. Data from artifacts and observations were used …

An Ethnographic Investigation Into The Influence Of Bandura’S Four Psychological Sources Of Information On Late-Career Elementary Teachers’ Self-Efficacy, Ginger Prewitt

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic investigation was to examine and describe the experiences that impact late-career elementary teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs based on A. Bandura’s four psychological sources of information and serves as part of a thematic dissertation with each researcher focusing in a different teacher career stage.

Methodology: Through qualitative methodology utilizing one-on-one interviews of elementary public school teachers with 24 or more years of experience, data was analyzed using the theoretical framework of A. Bandura’s four sources of self-efficacy information.

Findings: Analysis of data from interviews of 15 late-career elementary teachers from five school districts in Riverside County, …