Education Commons^™

Assistant Principals And The Phenomenon Of Leadership Coaching, Thomas Flugum

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

This study sought to define and explore executive leadership coaching as a form of professional learning for educational leaders. This was a qualitative phenomenological inquiry into the ways, if any, that leadership coaching impacts the skills and abilities of first-year assistant principals. Research was conducted with a cohort of newly appointed assistant principals from a suburban school district outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Participants were part of a district leadership academy which provided professional learning and support for new administrators. The participants received leadership coaching from coaches endorsed by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC) as one form of professional learning.

The Effect Of Leadership Coaching On The Self-Efficacy Of New Assistant Principals, Michael Manzella

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the effect of leadership coaching on new assistant principals’ perceptions of self-efficacy. Participants involved in the study included newly appointed assistant principals enrolled in a suburban public school district leadership academy that included multiple coaching sessions. Data were collected via a pre and post-test instrument designed to measure perceptions of self-efficacy. Analysis of covariance was used to determine whether the null hypothesis of two research questions would be accepted or rejected.

Findings showed that participants who experienced leadership coaching had statistically significant gains on post-test scores over pretest scores in all …

The Impact Of Mentorship On The Motivation To Learn: A Phenomenological Study Of High School African American Male Students At Risk For Failure, Godwin M. Prospere

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how at-risk male African American students who attend Title I inner-city high schools in Central Florida, and are at risk for failure, perceive mentorship impacts their motivation to learn. The theories that guided this study were Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, and Bandura’s social cognitive theory of self-efficacy, as each theory describes the basic needs that must be satisfied before an individual can be motivated to learn, and the role of interaction in developing self-efficacy and the motivation to learn. The central research question that guided this study sought …

Principal Professional Development And Principal Self-Efficacy In An Urban School District., Brian Thomas Garrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educator professional development (PD) is a heavily relied upon method for school improvement, and administrator professional development (APD) is a key element to nearly all school reform efforts. District-wide APD in large school districts can carry a heavy cost in financial and human resources. Moreover, PD is frequently too inadequately planned and/or implemented to bring about lasting positive change in educator practice, school reform, and student achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between principal PD focused on culture/climate or instruction and principal self-efficacy in an urban school district. Through hierarchical linear multiple regression (HLMR), this …

Alternative Seating In Middle School Math: Effects On Student Motivation, Kirk Whitfield Renegar

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The use of alternative classroom seating has recently become a topic of interest in education. Many teachers have redesigned their classrooms to include many forms of classroom seating aside from traditional student desks. These forms of seating include but are not limited to: therapy balls, therapy cushions, and beanbag chairs. While this movement has certainly caused a buzz, little research has been completed that speaks to its educational impact on students when multiple forms of seating are available to students. Most critically, the potential impact of alternative classroom seating on students’ motivation and self-efficacy has also yet to be studied. …

Action Research: Teacher Evaluation And Reflection, Courtney Lynne Landry

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies: Doctoral Research Projects

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to create an improved learning log procedure, based on the theory of action that the use of professional learning logs will improve self-reflection, which will increase teacher self-efficacy. Data collected through interviews, focus groups, and a research action committee have led to the assertions that (a) reflection is a necessary and welcomed part of being a professional; (b) procedures for reflection must be easily accessed and consistent; (c) teachers should have autonomy over their choice of reflection method to gain meaning; (d) though the learning log process allows for autonomy, the …

Assessing The Relationship Of Grit And Student Achievement In Reading And Mathematics In Second Grade Students Of The Sault Ste. Marie Public School District, Sheri L. Mcfarlane

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The single most common predictor of success may be how hard students work. Students who persevere when faced with challenges and adversity have grit. This quantitative study explored the relationship of grit and student achievement in students in early elementary school. The subjects of the study were second grade students enrolled in the Sault Ste. Marie Area Public School District. The cognitive measures for this study were the subjects’ scores from the Northwest Evaluation Association’s Measures of Academic Progress in the areas of mathematics and reading. The non-cognitive measure for this research was the Grit-S Scale, which provided a grit …

The Effects Of The School-Work Environment On Mathematics Teachers’ Motivation For Teaching: A Self-Determination Theoretical Perspective, Danya M. Corkin, Adem Ekmekci, Richard Parr

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Guided by self-determination theory, this study investigated the extent to which factors of teachers’ school-work environments predict their self-efficacy and intrinsic value for teaching. Participants were 217 mathematics teachers working in Texas public schools. Results indicated that principals’ autonomy support positively predicted teachers’ self-efficacy and intrinsic value for teaching beyond years of teaching experience, mathematics background, and grade level taught. Moreover, the negative effects of school-work environments dominated by high-stakes testing on teachers’ motivation for teaching were moderated by the level of autonomy support provided by the school principal.

From Science Student To Scientist: Predictors And Outcomes Of Heterogeneous Science Identity Trajectories In College, Kristy A. Robinson, Tony Perez, Amy K. Nuttall, Cary J. Roseth, Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This 5-year longitudinal study investigates the development of science identity throughout college from an expectancy-value perspective. Specifically, heterogeneous developmental patterns of science identity across 4 years of college were examined using growth-mixture modeling. Gender, race/ethnicity, and competence beliefs (efficacy for science tasks, perceived competence in science) were modeled as antecedents, and participation in a science career after graduation was modeled as a distal outcome of these identity development trajectories. Three latent classes (High with Transitory Incline, Moderate-High and Stable, and Moderate-Low with Early Decline) were identified. Gender, race/ethnicity, and competence beliefs in the first year of college significantly predicted latent …

Access Granted: A Study Of The Factors Affecting The Development Of Technology Literacy In Black Males, Carlton Bernard Bell

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

One of the most urgent challenges of the digital divide is the need to expand technology literacy. Access to technology was believed to be one of the causes for the discrepancy that exists, but there is a deeper divide: the divide that exists between technology literacy, and career readiness. Although access to technology has improved over time, the educational outcomes for Black males in related fields have not. A critical area of concern is the lack of a Black male professional presence in technology fields, which has serious implications for the future of our society. These implications include a less …