Education Commons^™

Drawing About Writing: Exploring Egyptian Middle School Students’ Writing Motivation And Perceptions, Maryam Elbayady

Theses and Dissertations

The principal aim of this study is to explore Egyptian middle school students’ perceptions of their writing experiences using artistic expression, specifically drawings. It also aims to understand their levels of writing motivation using the Self-Beliefs, Writing-Beliefs, and Attitude Survey (SWAS) (Wright et al., 2019). Finally, it examines the relationships among participants’ perceptions, motivation, and their narrative writing performance. The view that students’ voices are valuable to research geared towards school improvement has largely propelled this study (Bland, 2018; Zumbrunn et al., 2017). In addition, due to the limited literature about middle school students enrolled at private Egyptian schools, this …

Self-Efficacy, Locus Of Control, And Their Effect On Online Returning Students' Graduation, Matthew Dean Greene

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to understand the factors that affect returning students' ability to complete their degrees through online degree programs. Logistic regression was used to determine which factors had a significant relationship with persistence to graduation and how they contributed to the odds of students graduating. The findings show that academic locus of control and academic self-efficacy had a significant positive relationship with returning student persistence to graduation, with the locus of control contributing to the odds of graduation more than self-efficacy. Additionally, the amount of time between the student's initial dropout and subsequent return to complete …

Pursuing Culturally Responsive Math Teaching By Secondary Math Educators: A Professional Development Action Research Study, Emily Bell Redding

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study examines the use of professional development to build the self-efficacy of secondary math teachers in culturally responsive mathematics teaching (CRMT), with the hope to address achievement gaps of Black and Hispanic students. Seven math teachers from a school division in Southwest Virginia participated in a 9-week professional development that included virtual meetings to learn about CRMT, collaboration with colleagues, classroom applications, and self-reflection. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected throughout the 9 weeks in the forms of questionnaires, meeting transcripts, and reflection journals. The research study results found the professional development to build teacher self-efficacy, especially …

1, 2, 3: Counting On Problem Based Learning To Improve Mathematical Achievement In African American Students, Kelley P. Spahr

Theses and Dissertations

Mathematics is an important component of our everyday lives. It involves necessary skills, such as computation, problem solving, and critical thinking. In spite of this, a significant portion of our students are unable to demonstrate proficiency. These students are typically the underserved, marginalized students who are over represented in remedial classes and behavioral statistics (Gibson, 2022; Harper, 2010, 2021; Zilanawala, et al., 2018). This research study presented two instructional interventions, culturally relevant pedagogy and problem-based learning, to examine the impact of self-efficacy, critical thinking, and mathematical achievement. This study utilized a mixed-methods triangulation design. The participants of this study were …

Empowering Teachers To Support Mtss Students: An Action Research Study, Sahalija Dentico

Theses and Dissertations

In 2018, the elementary school where I serve as an instructional interventionist adopted a data-based multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). Although our process has evolved over the years, I saw room for improvement. Therefore, the purpose of this action research study was to improve the MTSS process at my school, specifically by addressing teachers’ lack of awareness of their role. Framing the study with a combination of social cognitive theory and curriculum ideologies, I explored 12 English language arts teachers’ perceptions of the MTSS model, curricular views, and sense of self-efficacy. Through a two-phase, mixed-method approach, I investigated how sharing …

The Influence And Impacts Of Critical Literacy Intervention In Preservice Teachers Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy: A Mixed Methods Study, Heather Lynn Hall

Theses and Dissertations

Critical Literacy (CL) is a teaching strategy that is designed to promote critical consciousness and enact social justice change as learning occurs. Critical literacy can promote and included in teacher education programs as a tool to increase Pre-Service Teachers (PST) Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy (CRTSE). The researcher examined the impact of implementing CL instruction as an invention in teacher education programs to study their self-efficacy in culturally responsive teaching in this mixed methods study. The participants (n=90) reported a statistically significant in CRTSE, along with an increased understanding of terms and frameworks of CRT and CL as well as increased …

Professional Development And Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Regarding Research-Based Practices For English Language Learners In Middle School, Lydia R. Escobar

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to describe the research-based practices used by middle school teachers of multilingual or ELL students in the subject area courses and the teachers’ self-efficacy to implement those research-based practices while teaching. Also, this study aimed to describe the impact of professional development regarding research-based teaching practices on the implementation of these practices and to compare the teachers’ practices, their perceptions of self-efficacy, and the impact of professional development had on their teaching.

This study followed a quantitative methodology with a survey design. A non-probabilistic sampling was used for the selection of the participants. The sample …

Teacher Attrition Rates In A Large Urban Elementary School In The Southeastern United States, Yvonne Joy Russ

Theses and Dissertations

Educational organizations were experiencing increasing teacher attrition rates, thereby impacting teacher self-efficacy, workplace continuity, and student achievement levels. With this national crisis unfolding, schools struggled to recruit and retain high-quality teachers necessary for organizational success and student mastery of standards-based instruction. The increasing levels of teacher attrition were affecting both novice and veteran schoolteachers. The purpose of this applied dissertation was to understand the experiences of teachers impacted by the problem of increasing teacher attrition, as well as identify retention strategies to employ. Scholarly research on the topic of teacher attrition highlighted factors and issues related to this dilemma; however, …

The Impact Of Job Demands And Job Resources On Clery Officers’ Feelings Of Self-Efficacy, Jacqueline Pontius-Hogan

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to better understand how to support university administrators serving in a compliance role. Safety on university campuses is of utmost importance and many collaborators work toward this endeavor. Generally, on any given college or university campus, there is one administrator tasked with compliance with the Clery Act. Administrators had varying direct experience and interest in serving in this role, though all understood the importance of compliance and the consequences of noncompliance.

The researcher interviewed Clery Officers from multiple campuses. Utilizing semistructured interviews, information was gathered as to how self-efficacious these administrators felt. The intent behind …

The Influence Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Rural Virginia Secondary Teachers’ Self-Efficacy, Sherol L. Southerland

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges for PK-12 education and exposed educators’ skill deficits. Teachers had to learn new approaches to doing their jobs while navigating the mental, emotional, spiritual, and financial impact of the pandemic on their personal lives. This undertaking was even more demanding for rural school divisions, which tend to lack the resources (e.g., personnel, technology, financial) that suburban and urban school divisions have. Schools reopened in fall 2020 offering fully remote, fully in-person, and hybrid modalities, however, there was no going back to teaching as it was before the pandemic. The present study sought to …