Education Commons^™

Childhood Trauma In Early Care And Education: Understanding School Administrators’ Perceptions, Olawale Olubowale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods study explores childhood trauma with a primary focus on the beliefs and attitudes of elementary school administrators in their ability to offer trauma-informed leadership and assist their teachers in trauma-informed care (TIC) and education. Participants at various stages of their careers were recruited from elementary schools across 10 U.S. states (N = 240). Employing an explanatory sequential mixed method design, Phase I assessed school administrators’ attitudes using the attitudes related to trauma-informed care scale (ARTIC-45) (see Appendix A). Phase II employed semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative data to explain further and clarify the quantitative results. Findings suggest …

Impact Of School Leaders’ Actions On Teachers And Their Practices, Dinara Metova

Dissertations

School leaders play a vital role in teachers' performance; while some leaders create an environment conducive to learning, collaboration, and achievement, others inadvertently contribute to teacher attrition and educational disparities. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of school leaders' actions on teachers and their practices. The context of this inquiry includes two stakeholder groups: 582 school leaders and 1,054 teachers from all 50 states who are members of Facebook Educator Groups. I implemented a mixed methods design by researching scholarly articles and using qualitative and quantitative survey data to find the most effective school leader practices …

Impact Of Prolonged Professional Development On Teachers’ Confidence In Using Inquiry-Based Learning In The Classroom, Kasey Harmon, Taylor Ruth, Bryan Reiling, Nathan W. Conner, Christopher T. Stripling

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Professional development (PD) programs for science and agriculture teachers designed around the inquiry-based learning (IBL) teaching strategy could help to improve science proficiency amongst our high school students. PD that continues over a longer period of time is more effective than short-term workshops. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of a prolonged PD program on teachers’ confidence in using IBL strategies for teaching animal sciences content. The following research questions guided this study: RQ1: What were participants’ perceptions of a prolonged PD program? and RQ2: How did the prolonged PD program influence the participants’ confidence in …

Equipping Extension Professionals To Lead Volunteer Systems: An Evaluation Of An Online Course, Kandi O'Neil, Rachelle Vettern, Sarah Maass, Rebecca Harrington, Kari Robideau, Patricia Mcglaughlin, Josset Gauley

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Extension professionals enter their role with content-specific expertise; however, experience in volunteer leadership and management competencies is often limited. This study focused on the effectiveness of the Achieving the Extension Mission Through Volunteers (AEMTV) course in preparing professionals to use the Identification, Selection, Orientation, Training, Utilization, Recognition, Evaluation (ISOTURE) model to learn and apply volunteer systems concepts in a cohort-based online learning environment. We used quantitative and qualitative methods to assess how the course impacted participants and the programs they lead. Data from 127 participants indicated they increased their knowledge, improved volunteer systems, and influenced the quality of programming delivered …

A Case Study On The Transfer Of Training As Influenced By Perceptions Of Self-Leadership By Extension Professionals, Lisa Kaslon, Nathan W. Conner, Gina Matkin, Mark Balschweid, Chuck Hibberd

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Employee potential and development are critical, and training has been identified as a way to create high-performing work cultures and high-potential employees. The purpose of this study was to understand how Extension employees perceive their self-leadership as impacting their transfer of training after they participate in professional development. The study aims to answer the following research question, “How do Extension professionals describe their experiences of transfer of training as influenced by their perceptions of their self-leadership? The methodological approach used for this research was the case study. Data collection methods included a questionnaire, interviews, and document review. A semi-structured interview …

Art Nights: Reimagining Professional Development As A Ritual, Libba Willcox

International Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education

Art teachers’ need for connection, passion for artmaking, desire for mentoring, and quest for renewal led me to ask, what happens if we reimagine professional development as ritualized artistic practice? What would occur if our ritual was collaborative and intergenerational? How might ritualized professional development aid the quest for renewal? Pulling imagery and quotes from a larger qualitative and arts-based research study (Willcox, 2017), this visual essay shares what happened when an intergenerational group of art teachers met and engaged in artistic inquiry about their teaching practice. Specifically, it weaves together imagery and quotes to illustrate how our ritual, art …

Evaluation Of Australia's Investment In Teacher Development In Lao Pdr: Summary Of The 2019 Baseline Report, Yung Nietschke, Anna Dabrowski Phd, Aris Huang, Jeaniene Spink

Education Analytics Service

In 2019, the Government of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) introduced a new primary education curriculum to improve teaching quality and student learning outcomes. The Government’s Education and Sports Sector Development Plan 2021- 25 focuses on improving teacher knowledge and skills as a means to improve student learning outcomes. This report summarises baseline findings just prior to these significant curriculum changes. These changes are supported by the Australian Government through its Basic Education Quality and Access in Laos (BEQUAL) program. The Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has commissioned a study to investigate how BEQUAL is …

Report Highlights: Evaluation Of Australia's Investment In Teacher Development In Lao Pdr: Final Report, Debbie Wong, Hilary Hollingsworth, Prue Anderson, Payal Goundar, Agnes Mercer

Education Analytics Service

The Australian Government is supporting the Government of Lao PDR to undertake significant primary education reforms through its flagship Basic Education Quality and Access in Lao PDR program (BEQUAL), including a new primary curriculum. Phase 1 of BEQUAL (2015-22) supported the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) to rollout the new primary curriculum in schools, starting with Grade 1 (G1) in 2019. Specific teaching practices were introduced, including active learning, student-centred learning approaches, formative assessment, and a phonics approach to teaching reading. New practices were complemented by face-to-face orientation training and grants in BEQUAL target districts to strengthen communities of …

Teacher Development Multi-Year Study Series. Evaluation Of Australia’S Investment In Teacher Development In Lao Pdr: Final Report, Debbie Wong, Hilary Hollingsworth, Prue Anderson, Payal Goundar, Agnes Mercer

Education Analytics Service

The Australian Government is supporting the Government of Lao PDR to undertake significant primary education reforms through its flagship Basic Education Quality and Access in Lao PDR program (BEQUAL). A key focus of these reforms is the rollout of a new national primary curriculum intended to improve teaching quality and learning outcomes for students. As part of a multi-year study series, the Education Analytics Service (EAS) investigated how the BEQUAL program made a difference to improving these teaching and learning outcomes.

Evaluation Of Australia's Investment In Teacher Development In Lao Pdr: Summary Of The 2019 Baseline Report (Lao Version), Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Education Analytics Service

In 2019, the Government of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) introduced a new primary education curriculum to improve teaching quality and student learning outcomes. The Government’s Education and Sports Sector Development Plan 2021- 25 focuses on improving teacher knowledge and skills as a means to improve student learning outcomes. This report summarises baseline findings just prior to these significant curriculum changes. These changes are supported by the Australian Government through its Basic Education Quality and Access in Laos (BEQUAL) program. The Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has commissioned a study to investigate how BEQUAL is …

Ecuadorian English Teachers’ Perspectives On Their Professional Development, Consuelo Marisol Gallardo

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Ecuadorian English Teachers’ Perspectives on Their Professional Development, Consuelo Gallardo, Ph.D., University of Nebraska, 2023

Professional development (PD) plays an important role in one’s ability to perform at a high level in a job (Mizell, 2010). As such, an increased emphasis on ongoing and varied PD opportunities to support educator’s professional growth has been described as an effective approach since it pays direct dividends for teachers’ self-efficacy and prepares them to help students surpass basic academic standards (Anderson, 2018; Borg, 2018; Tanveer et al., 2021).

However, PD opportunities for English teachers, who work at Ecuadorian public high schools (grades 8-13), …

A Framework For Teaching Computational Thinking In Primary Schools: A Namibian Case Study, Maria M. Ausiku, Machdel C. Matthee

The African Journal of Information Systems

Several professional development programs have been designed to train in-service teachers on a computational thinking (CT) curriculum, but few researchers have examined how these affect primary school teachers' self-efficacy and knowledge of CT in emerging economies. This study's objective was to create a framework for the professional development of primary school in-service teachers for the teaching of CT (referred to as professional development for primary computational thinking - PD4PCT) to be integrated into teachers' professional development programs. An initial framework was refined after implementing it at a Namibian school with a group of 14 teachers from five different disciplines (social …

Learning Professionals That Leverage Learner Agency As An Asynchronous Instructional Design Strategy: A Phenomenological Study, Misha A. Mixon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand asynchronous online professional learning for adults that maximizes learner agency through non-linear instructional design strategies by the lived experiences of Learning and Development professionals. The theory guiding this study is Malcolm Knowles’ theory of andragogy, as it speaks to the unique characteristics of adult learners and is the lens by which the creation of asynchronous learning experiences that maximize learner agency can be viewed. The central research question investigates the lived experiences of learning professionals who create asynchronous online professional learning for adults that maximizes learner agency through non-linear instructional …

Practitioner Inquiry For Turbulent Times: Learning To Take An Inquiry Stance Toward Teaching Difficult Topics Through A Teacher Inquiry Community, Logan Rutten, Danielle Butville, Wendy Lane Smith, Boaz Dvir

Journal of Practitioner Research

Amid turbulent times and politically polarized communities, many teachers require support if they are to teach or engage with difficult topics in their curricula or professional practices, yet few teachers actually receive any formalized support for addressing such topics. This article responds by describing the work of an inquiry community of inservice educators that was designed to assist teachers in learning to address difficult topics by integrating practitioner inquiry and student inquiry with asset-based and trauma-informed lenses. The article outlines the community’s conceptual foundations then describes how a team of university-based teacher educators facilitated the community’s work. A participating teacher’s …

Halt Certification: Reducing The Workload, Increasing The Rigour And Cutting The Cost, Lawrence Ingvarson, Hilary Hollingsworth

Teacher workforce and careers

In December 2022, federal, state and territory education ministers released a National Teacher Workforce Action Plan to improve teacher supply and retention in the profession. While recognising the important role that Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) certification could play, the plan also recognised that the current approach to certification was cumbersome for teachers and called for it to be ‘streamlined’. At the request of the education ministers, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) has produced a revised Framework for the Certification of HALT Teachers. Guided by the Framework, certifying authorities across state and territory school systems …

Improving Student Achievement With Social-Emotional Learning, Samantha Featherstone

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Research shows that social emotional learning can positively improve student success both emotionally and academically. Social emotional programs, skills, and overall learning within school systems benefit staff, students, and stakeholders. When there is a lack of a clear and organized social emotional curriculum, students suffer and lack necessary skills to have long-term success both academically and personally. Using various research findings, a school improvement plan was created to construct a school-wide social-emotional system that includes both a research-based program and a variety of social emotional skills. This plan also ensures ongoing professional development for staff to implement with fidelity. The …

Promising Practice: Book Studies As Professional Development For Rural Teachers, Erika L. Bass, Anthony Olson

The Rural Educator

This promising practice article describes conducting book studies as professional development in rural communities. In this article, we share our understanding of the importance of this type of professional development in rural schools, as well as considerations for those who wish to start something similar in their districts.

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 …

A Phenomenological Study Of Teacher Experiences With Implementation Of Crisis Prevention And Intervention In Military-Connected Schools, Rebecca Young Carmichael

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental, phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of educators with classroom-based crises at military-connected schools and the crisis prevention and intervention training they have received. Knowles’ theory on adult education guided this study as it provides a useful framework for evaluating the provision and implementation of effective staff training. This qualitative study followed a phenomenological research design and involved 10 special education and general education teachers from military-connected schools. Sources of data included interviews, letters to new teachers, and a focus group. Data gathered was analyzed using the procedures of phenomenological reduction, imaginative variation, …

A Case Study Exploring Teachers' Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Professional Development On Their Implementation Of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Self-Efficacy, And Student Outcomes, Cala M. Allison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the professional development program on their implementation of culturally responsive pedagogy, self-efficacy, and student outcomes at Wyatt Elementary School. The theories guiding this study were Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and the culturally responsive pedagogy framework. Combining these theoretical frameworks contributed to understanding how teachers internalize and implement culturally responsive pedagogy based on the knowledge obtained during professional development. This study utilized a single case study design to examine teachers’ perceptions at Wyatt Elementary School (pseudonym), an urban family school in the Mid-Atlantic United States. …

Assessing The Role Of The Northern Education Initiative (Nei) Plus Teacher Training Program In Enhancing Teachers’ Professional Development In Gamawa, Bauchi State, Nigeria., Aisha Yakub

Educational Studies Dissertations

The lack of access to quality education in northern Nigeria has proven endemic due to the incessant marginalization of the area by various governments since independence to date. The marginalization and lack of investment in teacher training institutions to bridge the manpower gap has created a vicious cycle of poverty, high illiteracy rates, and banditry in most of the northern states in Nigeria. Apart from the historical marginalization of these states, another critical factor that has been identified as contributing to this problem is the lack of professional development opportunities for teachers. The NEI Plus teacher training program is a …

Instructors At A Crossroad: Perceptions Of Collaboration And Support Intersect With Intentions To Implement A Cure, Justin Berl

Dissertations and Theses

An ongoing crisis of student drop-off from undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education has led to a sustained call over the last 15+ years for the increased implementation of updated practices in undergraduate STEM education. Though over the past few decades many researchers have developed and analyzed the efficacy of various evidence-based teaching practices (EBTPs) designed to improve the state of undergraduate STEM education throughout the country, the rate at which these EBTPs are implemented in undergraduate STEM classrooms remains low.

In order to better understand the specific factors that affect individual instructors' efforts to implement EBTPs, we …

Navigating The Chasms Between Real And Ideal Literacy Professional Development, Poonam Arya, Kathryn L. Roberts

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

In this study, we examine the supportive and hindering factors that influenced 26 teachers’ implementation of pedagogy learned through a research-based, resource-intensive literacy PD initiative (100+ hours). Through post-intervention interviews, we explore the space between learning and enactment of new practices for literacy teaching and learning. Specifically, we ask, What are teachers’ perceptions of the contextual factors that support and hinder their moving from learning to implementation of literacy PD? Results indicate four primary supportive factors (PD facilitators, communities of practice, schools/administrators, and student affective responses) and three primary hindering factors (circumstantial factors, lack of resources, and mismatches between school …

Seeds Of Trust Ripe As Luscious Fruits: Faculty Mentorship Forum At Aga Khan University Medical College, Rehana Rehman, Rahila Ali, Saira Khalid, Tazeen Saeed Ali

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background & objective: Faculty members require mentoring in all stages of their professional development. Aga Khan University (AKU) has initiated mentorship programs for students and faculty at AKU Medical College (AKU- MC) and AKU School of Nursing and Midwifery (AKU-SONAM). This study aimed to explore perceptions of mentors, mentees, administrators (chairs, co-chairs, founder members and coordinators of the mentoring program) and leadership and further investigate the strengths and challenges faced by 'Faculty Mentorship Program' at AKU- MC.
Methods: We conducted a qualitative exploratory study from February till December 2021 after approval from AKU using purposive criterion sampling. Mentors, mentees, administrators …

The Lived Experiences Of Teachers Of Color And Racial Microaggressions, Torine Champion, Linda Wilson-Jones

Journal of Research Initiatives

This qualitative study describes the lived experiences of teachers of color and identify commonalities within the lived experiences of teachers of color employed in predominately White K–12 schools. This study utilized interpretive phenomenological analysis, viewed through the White racial frame lens. There were 15 participants who were included in this research study. Participants were teachers of color with at least five years of teaching experience in predominately White K–12 environments. Data collection procedures included confidential virtual, semi-structured interviews with specific information the researcher wanted to explore. A lack of professional connectivity and microaggression was revealed as a theme. While teachers …

Professional Learning Conversations: Adaptive Expertise For Schools. Supplementary Digital Materials, Helen Timperley

Educational leadership

School leaders face complex challenges, that typically have multiple causes and often persist despite everyone’s best attempts to address them. Addressing complex challenges requires juggling both the big picture, and the specific parts of the challenge. Without a roadmap, this process is fraught and unlikely to succeed in improving outcomes. In order to make a difference, schools need adaptive expertise; a skill which can be learnt through professional conversations and inquiry. In Leading professional conversations, Emeritus Professor Helen Timperley deftly outlines the key enablers for effective professional conversations – relationships, resources, processes, knowledge and culture – which support teachers to …

Teaching In An Unfamiliar Place: A Mixed Methods-Grounded Theory Study On The Experiences Of New Correctional Educators, Nicole Patrie

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

New correctional educators must learn to teach in an unfamiliar correctional environment. In this convergent mixed-methods study, experienced correctional educators in Alberta, Canada reflected on their first 6 months teaching in adult correctional institutions. Teachers initially struggled to do something familiar (teach) in an unfamiliar place, perceiv- ing prisons as non-conducive to education. Seeing the absence of a purpose-built community, they built one or attached to existing non-educational communities. New educators invoked strategies such as engaging in mutual support, connecting with non-education professionals, asking others to demystify institutional culture, and practicing reflexivity. When reflecting on useful training and orientation activities, …

Professional Development For Teaching In The Digital Age: Addressing Teachers’ Digital Competency, Blanca Nery Ibarra

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify teachers’ digital skills proficiency gaps in order to determine preparedness for teaching in the digital age. Using a survey research design helped identify teachers’ digital skills self-confidence, attitudes towards the use of technology in the classroom, and current uses of technology for instructional purposes. The participants in this research study consisted of 320 middle school teachers from a border school district in south Texas. The data was collected using a survey instrument consisting of the TPSA C-21 and researcher-developed items. The data was analyzed using the Spearman-rank order correlation to describe the …

Early Childhood Teachers' Experiences In Collaboration Practices Related To Developing Professionally: A Qualitative Case Study, Linda Alston-Morgan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine early childhood teachers’ experiences in collaboration practices to support teacher professional development in three early childhood schools in Central New Jersey. The theory guiding this study was social cognitive theory by Bandura (1986), which focuses on learning through observations and social interactions. Bandura’s theory aligned with the study and revealed how collaborative opportunities are utilized as an approach to help teachers learn from each other and develop professionally. However, specific activities underlying the professional development of teachers during the collaborative sessions need more exploration. The research included data regarding early …

Novice Elementary Teachers' Sense Of Preparedness Incorporating Technology: A Phenomenological Study, Amanda Lynn Margiewicz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the phenomenon of novice elementary teachers’ sense of preparedness incorporating technology into instruction within South-Central Pennsylvania school districts. The theory guiding this study was Albert Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy as it relates to novice elementary teachers’ self-efficacy and perceived preparedness with incorporating technology into instruction. The qualitative research method was used along with a transcendental phenomenological approach to understand the phenomenon. The participants included 11 novice elementary educators employed within the South-Central Pennsylvania school districts that have had previous experiences with the phenomenon. The three data collection methods that were …