Making The Grade: Do Teacher-Created Grading Systems Result In Disparate Outcomes For High School Students?, Laura L. Mayberry

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The lack of formal grading policies within individual schools and school districts results in differential grading across classrooms. In many secondary schools, an individual course may be taught by multiple teachers. This study aimed to determine if the existence of differential grading results in disparate outcomes for students based on their assigned teacher. Data about students (demographics, teacher-issued grades, and standardized test scores) was collected from four core content classes at one high school. Regression analysis was used to isolate the impact of students’ assigned teacher on their course grade after controlling for demographics and academic performance as measured by …

Case Study And Evaluation Of The Implementation Of Restorative Family Conferences In An Alternative Placement School, Linda Faye Mcghghy

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the lack of research supporting zero tolerance policies and practices, these exclusionary practices and policies have resulted in the doubling of the number of students suspended from school. They contribute to exclusionary consequences and, in effect, these practices create negative academic, social and emotional outcomes for students often resulting in students entering the criminal justice system (school-to-prison-pipeline), which disproportionately impact Black students, students with disabilities, and children living in poverty. These facts are especially troubling since there is ample research that discipline practices supporting student physical, mental and social well being such as Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Multi-Tiered System …

Triumph After Trauma: A Phenomenological Exploration Into Women Survivor’S Perceptions Of The Influence Of Trauma On Their Leadership, Natalya R. Bannister Roby

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Most research around trauma is focused on negative life consequences. Although limited, there is research that explores the influence of resilience and how some survivors may experience growth after trauma (Kirschman, 2004). Furthermore, research is limited on how trauma influences the leadership style and career trajectories of women who have overcome trauma. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used as the methodological framework to explore the perspectives of women leaders who identify as survivors or overcomers of trauma. The study participants are women leaders in middle management positions to senior-level executives in educational organizations serving middle and high school students.

In-depth …

Teaching Black Elementary Students: The Influence Of Experiences And Teacher Preparation For Pwi And Hbcu Interns On Their Understanding Of And Self-Efficacy For Culturally Responsive Teaching, Jeania N. Jones

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Teacher preparation program agendas include culturally responsive teaching (CRT) due to the student diversity in modern elementary classrooms. Overwhelmingly, White, middle-class English-speaking women who may not completely understand their students' cultural backgrounds are teachers in those culturally diverse classrooms. In schools where Eurocentric values, assumptions, beliefs, and methodologies are being taught, many students of color are not performing well academically. Black teachers and teachers with a good understanding of students' cultural experiences and backgrounds have higher expectations and counter the racial stereotypes about Black students. This multiple case study examined how two teacher interns understand Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) and …

Shaping Teachers’ Behavioral Intentions To Use Dgbl: Understanding The Key Insights Teachers Garner From A Research-Based Dgbl Professional Development Design, Nadine Ebri

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to explore the key insights teachers garner from a research-based Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) professional development (PD) workshop and how their garnered insights shape their behavioral intentions to use DGBL in their future teaching practices. By gaining a deeper understanding of these areas, this study aims to enhance the effectiveness of professional development workshops for DGBL, and in turn, improve DGBL implementation in the classroom setting.

DGBL, which integrates digital games into education, has gained attention for its potential to engage and motivate students while enhancing learning outcomes. However, limited focus on DGBL professional development …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Inclusive Classrooms, Tamara Ann Lipson

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined teachers’ perceptions of inclusive classrooms. The specific areas of focus were analyzed by comparing demographic characteristics of the responding teachers to survey questions from the adapted Teachers Attitude towards Inclusive Education (TAIS) in order to determine how teachers perceive inclusive classrooms, how prepared they feel to teach in inclusive classrooms, and if there is any correlation between the workload of the teachers and their perception of inclusive classrooms. Data was collected through a survey completed by 480 teachers from a large, diverse, public school district in Northeast Florida. The findings of this study indicate that these teachers …

Leadership Characteristics And Teacher Self-Efficacy From The Perspective Of Teachers, Carolyn Hayward

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to investigate how elementary teachers in Clay County, Florida rate their level of self-efficacy, while examining the specific leadership characteristics influencing self-efficacy from the perspective of teachers. Additionally, this study sought to identify characteristics and actions of principals that teachers consider to be important to their self-efficacy in teaching from home on a virtual platform during the global pandemic. Using the Teacher Self-Efficacy Survey (TSES) and the Principal Rating and Ranking Scale (PRRS), teachers assessed their own self-efficacy and the characteristics of principals that they believe influence their self-efficacy. On …

Are High Levels Of Educator Bias Associated With The Disproportionate Discipline Of Black Students?, Melissa Ann Ramos

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Data on school discipline inequities have shown disproportionate numbers of Black students suspended and expelled compared to their non-Black counterparts. Despite the implementation of evidence-based solutions such as positive behavior supports and intervention, educator professional development, and restorative practices aimed at closing the racial discipline gap, little to no change has occurred. Critical Race Theory is used as a lens for viewing racial hierarchies as a socially constructed tool to oppress people of color. This oppression can be seen in various aspects of society and in education, especially in school discipline. It is fueled by biases, both implicit and explicit. …

Postsecondary Writing Program Collegiality, Job Satisfaction, And Self-Efficacy Teaching Writing: A Quantitative Analysis Using Self-Determination Theory, David A. Mackinnon Ii

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Calling on Ryan & Deci’s (2000) Self-Determination Theory framework, the author sought to explore the relations among writing program faculty collegiality in their work (i.e., teaching, research/scholarship, and service), their job satisfaction in teaching writing courses in postsecondary settings, and their sense of self-efficacy for that teaching. The author surveyed writing program faculty across the State University System of Florida and analyzed collect evidence towards addressing if faculty collegiality behaviors and beliefs relate to faculty job satisfaction in teaching writing or faculty self-efficacy around the teaching of writing. Using exploratory factor analysis and linear regression modeling, the author analyzed the …

Inside Collaborative Communities: Teachers' Perceptions Of The Collaborative Process, Pamela Ann Evors

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand teachers’ perceptions of the collaborative process and how it affected their classroom practices. The research question was “What are the perceptions held by experienced public elementary-school teachers in a large urban school district in the southeastern United States regarding the collaborative process in their school settings?”

The research design used semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a specific group of public elementary-school teachers who had extensive professional development and experience with the collaborative process, either in co-teaching settings or in frequent collaboration with colleagues. Using the process of educational criticism (Eisner, 1998) …

Factors Predictive Of Self-Efficacy In First Year Teachers, Jessica Leigh Hamelin

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research demonstrates that there are increased teacher burnout rates within the first 5 years of entering the field (Darling-Hammond, 2003; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2010; Yost, 2006). Consistent with those findings is that teacher preparation matters when conversing about recruitment and retention (Brown, Lee, & Collins, 2014). As more research is conducted in the area of teacher preparation it has become clear that teacher effectiveness is directly related to preparation (Darling-Hammond, 2010). As teachers enter their first-year teaching, philosophical stances can change, inflated beliefs about the teaching profession can be altered, and self-efficacy is influenced. Drawing from Hoy and Spero’s (2005) …

Teacher Perceptions On How To Best Support Student Well-Being In Elementary Classrooms, Elanna Beth Derby

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Elementary schools should be adept at assisting students in meeting their mental health need, such as, providing a non-violence approach to conflict resolution; strengthening the students’ relationships with their family members and friends; taking responsibility for their education and future; creating a stronger positive image; handling tough times more effectively; and setting and achieving their goals in life. The purpose of this Q methodology was to explore what teacher perspectives are on how to best support student well-being in the elementary school classroom. Specifically, this study examined what factors emerged when faculty in a large urban school district …

Graduate Students’ Perspectives Of The Benefits And Barriers To Mentoring Preservice Teachers, Melissa Omeechevarria

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring is an effective tool for the professional development of novice teachers (Eby & Lockwood 2005; Kram, 1985; Stanulis & Ames, 2009). Mentors to preservice teachers have conveyed that they receive benefits and face barriers when mentoring (Ambrosetti, 2014; Burk & Eby, 2010; Hobson, Ashby, Malderez, & Tomlinson, 2009; Iancu-Haddad & Oplatka, 2009). Graduate students who serve as mentors to undergraduates have also reported advantages and drawbacks to being a mentor (Conway, Eros, Pellegrino, Kras, Gale, & Campbell, 2009; Reddick, Griffin, & Cherwitz, 2011). This study examined the perceived benefits and barriers for graduate students serving as mentors to undergraduate, …

Conscious Conclusions: The Effect Of Positive-Attitude Cues On Teacher Candidate Dispositions About Mathematics, Shelletta Baker

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to use elements for developing teacher identity, personal philosophy, beliefs about teaching and learning, and reflection to frame an examination of the effect of Positive-Attitude Cues (PACs) on teacher candidates’(n = 135) mathematics anxiety and expressive writing. Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment (PACs) or control group (No-PAC) and their dispositions about mathematics were examined using the Revised Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS-R); which had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.96 and an expressive writing task before and after the intervention. A significant main effect of test time showed that participants …

A Study Of State College Faculty Trust In Immediate Supervisors, Anna Byrd

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study investigated faculty trust in their immediate supervisors (academic deans and faculty chairs) in a state college setting. A survey instrument created for this study was based on existing research on trust in schools by Bryk and Schneider (2002) and Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (1998), as well as research on trust in corporate setting. The study’s purpose was to determine the types and frequencies of interactions between community college faculty and deans/faculty chairs – i.e., faculty immediate supervisors – that are related to higher levels of faculty trust. Also investigated were the relationships between faculty trust and demographic characteristics …

Black Male Perspectives Of The Role Race Plays With Black Male Leader/Leadership Development In The World Of Work, Rudolph F. Jamison Jr.

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There have been relatively few studies examining the leadership of Black men, and even fewer studies examining the leadership of Black men from the phenomenology of Black men, themselves. The purpose of this Q Methodology study was to examine Black male perspectives of the role race plays with Black male leader/leadership development in the world of work. The study was designed as an exploratory attempt to surface and understand how 40 emerging African American male leaders in a large, urban city in the SE United States viewed their own leadership development. Elements of socio-analytic theory and leader-member exchange theories were …

Secondary-School Department Chairpersons’ Perceptions Of Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Jonathan K. Greene

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The concept of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) provides a framework for understanding the professional demands of secondary-school teachers in facilitating student learning. Teachers develop their PCK both formally in preservice and inservice education and informally with their colleagues. Teacher leaders, such as the secondary-school department chairs, can work with colleagues to promote professional growth. The purpose of this study was to understand how secondary-school department chairs understood PCK and perceived their role in promoting the PCK growth of their department colleagues. A qualitative research design using in-depth, semi-structured interviews involved 15 participants from one school district in the southeast of …

Unearthing The Seeds Of Oppression And Injustice Within Education: Using Intuition, Care, And Virtue To Guide The Educative Process And Cultivate Morality., Lucas Worsham

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The emphasis of the inquiry is on the domain of education and the relationship present between the teacher and student more specifically. Essentially, the first part of the thesis outlines how the larger social-political system impacts the domain of public education, with the predominant issues of adversity becoming manifest at the level of the relationship that exists between teacher and student. The second part of the work utilizes the problems discovered and their impact on human experience to propose a virtue/care based method for approaching the relationship with the student in a way that both aligns more closely with the …

Role Tension In The Academy: A Philosophical Inquiry Into Faculty Teaching And Research, Nicholas Michaud

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to understand the conjunction of faculty roles as teachers and as researchers. This understanding is pursued through philosophical analysis. Discourse ethics, in particular, is used as a framework by which to best understand the roles played by faculty and if the roles of teacher and researcher are, in fact, commensurable. The purpose of the work is two-fold: 1) to develop a construct that may be used by future researchers to better understand the roles played by faculty, and 2) to suggest a best-construct that enables future researchers to propose how actual lived roles should be instantiated in …

The Perspectives Of Preschool Teachers On Instructional Coaching, Melanie Smith Clough

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how teachers describe instructional coaching. Instructional coaching has become a leading form of professional development in educational settings, yet there is a lack of empirical evidence that explains and clarifies it. One aspect of instructional coaching that is not known is how teachers perceive it. In order to gain understanding about instructional coaching, the perspectives of the teachers could provide valuable insight to benefit those involved in the practice. Instructional coaching and the schools where coaching takes place are complex in nature. Through the use of one-on-one interviews, an in-depth look at …

No Teacher Left Behind: An Exploration Of The Current Teacher Performance Evaluation System In Florida, Tara C. Haley

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of standardized test scores to hold schools, students, and teachers accountable for their performance has been at the heart of education reform efforts throughout the United States for years. Recent reform efforts have been especially focused on including the standardized testing performance of students into the overall evaluation of teacher effectiveness. In several states throughout the country, including Florida, results from teacher performance evaluations are being used to inform professional development, tenure, retention, termination, and compensation decisions.

The purpose of this study was to explore the teacher performance evaluation system initiated in Florida in 2011 as perceived by …

The Effects Of An Intervention That Includes In-Class Coaching On Preschool Teachers And Children, Amber K. Oliveira

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The impact of high quality early learning experiences on a child's development is profound. Teacher quality has been deemed an important predictor of classroom quality, but currently teachers in Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) in the state of Florida are required to meet minimal training requirements. The purpose of this study was to examine an intervention including in-class coaching as a means of professional development to better prepare preschool teachers. The present study included and examination of the changes in environmental quality, child outcomes, and teacher perceptions after the intervention. Scores obtained were compared before and after the intervention. A two-tailed t-test …

Use Of Specific Web-Based Simulations To Support Inquiry-Based High School Science Instruction, Arlene Korr

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary goal of this study was to acquire an understanding of those practices that encourage the sustained use of simulations in support of inquiry-based science instruction. With the rapid distribution of Internet-related technologies in the field of education, it is most important to undertand the function of these innovations. Technology, specifically the implementation of simulations to support inquiry-based instruction, provides new educational strategies for science teachers. Technology also influences the field of education by repeatedly making some teachers' best practices obsolete.

The qualitative research design was selected to explore the nature of science leaders' and teachers’ consideration or lack …

Classroom Intercultural Competence In Teacher Education Students, Interns, And Alumni, Christine K. Holland

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the impact of a student teaching internship upon the classroom intercultural competence (CIC) of teacher education students and alumni. Phase I employed quantitative methodology to compare the intercultural competence as measured by Ross, Thornson, McDonald, and Arrastia’s (2009) Cross Cultural Competence Inventory (3CI) for three groups. The 3CI is a 63-item survey that uses corresponding questions to assess intercultural competence. Survey items are scored with a 6-point, strongly agree-to-strongly disagree Likert scale (Thornson, 2010). The three groups included teacher education students enrolled in a field observation course, students enrolled in …

Nontraditional Graduate Students' Satisfaction With Their Transnational Educational Experience, Christopher Ihesiaba Nnoduechi

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This retrospective, nonexperimental, quantitative study was designed to explore nontraditional students’ perceptions of satisfaction with their graduate education experience in a customized transnational educational context. This study was undergirded by theories and concepts gleaned from multiple disciplines. Disconfirmed expectations theory of consumer satisfaction derived from expectancy theory, which describes the motivations and behaviors of consumers who purchase a service but cannot fully evaluate the service until it has been consumed, provided the overarching conceptual framework for the research.

This research analyzed data from 62 graduates of a customized, transnational Master of Education program in educational leadership. Participants responded to a …

Content Analysis Of Conflict Resolution Curricula, Mary Smith

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Violence in schools in various forms has become recognizable. Awareness of this situation has resulted with proliferation of curricula for conflict education. The purpose of this study was to analyze conflict resolution curricula designed for five to eight year olds. The study examined three issues formulated from the review of related literature: time and space, skill building, and developmentally appropriate practices. The findings included time and physical space requirements for conflict resolution curricula, the suggested skills needed to peacefully resolve conflicts, and an evaluation of the developmentally appropriate activities in the curricula for early childhood ages 5-8.

A View From Within : Instructors' Perspectives Of Their Roles With Adult Learners In Need Of Remediation, Lance J. Baxter

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study focused on the perceptions of 12 faculty members teaching courses in adult basic education and described their professional experiences and interactions with adult learners within the context of a two-year, public, postsecondary institution. Participants, ranging in teaching experience from 13 years to 43 years, volunteered to take part in one-to-one, semi-structured interview sessions to offer insight into their professional experiences. The interview sessions yielded the complex, context-specific data for detailed analysis. Data analysis, supported through educational criticism and relevant concepts from the professional literature (Eisner, 1998), was used to develop four themes: how the faculty viewed …

The Effects Of Using Interactive Word Walls To Teach Vocabulary To Middle School Students, Ledale Southerland

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Teaching vocabulary to middle school students requires that educators find the most effective means of instruction to achieve this goal. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of using an interactive word wall as the tool to combine five effective, research-based teaching strategies with social interaction to teach vocabulary to middle school students. In this study, 124 middle school students participated. The control group consisted of 67 eighth grade English students, and the intervention group was comprised of 57 seventh grade English students. The intervention was for a period of four weeks and included specific activities that …

Preparation For Teaching In Urban Schools: Perceptions Of The Impact Of Traditional Preparation Programs, Crystal Timmons

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During 2 decades of debate about teacher preparation education practitioners and policymakers have called for a more skilled professional teaching force (Darling- Hammond, 2010). Of particular concern has been poverty’s impact on education -- specifically in struggling urban schools -- prompting legislation such as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which shifted funding formulas in an effort to directly target poor students and struggling schools (Talbert-Johnson, 2006). The major purpose of this study was to explore novice teachers’ (teachers in their second to fourth year of teaching) perceptions of their preparedness to teach in urban schools following completion of …

Ethnic Differences In Alcohol Use: A Comparison Of Black And White College Students In A Small Private University Setting, Kristie S. Gover

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An identified gap in the literature associated with college student alcohol use is the exploration of the problem based on ethnicity, specifically possible differences in use between Black and White college students. The purpose of the present study was to examine differences in alcohol use for Black and White college students at a small private university in the southeast United States. The study was conducted using the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey Long Form, which is designed to collect data related to self reported use of alcohol and perceptions of alcohol use among college students. A quantitative methodology was employed …