Education Commons^™

Examining The Effects Of A Curriculum-Based Professional Learning Community On Teacher Efficacy Toward Inquiry-Based Science Instruction, Samuel Joel Northern

Dissertations

Improving STEM education is pivotal to our country’s economic future and security. Unfortunately, most young students have limited access to standards-based science education. Science instruction is notoriously difficult to implement in the early grades. This dissertation explored the root causes for the lack of effective science instruction in elementary schools, including accountability testing, instructional time, historically weak standards, family factors, teacher efficacy, and professional development.

This study aimed to understand how elementary school teachers’ attitudes promote or hinder the implementation of science instruction. This study’s primary driver to improve science education in the early grades was a curriculum-based professional learning …

The Call For Department Chair Leadership: Why Chairs Serve, What They Do, How They Develop, How Long They Serve, And Is There Life After Chairing?

International Journal of Leadership and Change

No abstract provided.

Testing The Effects Of Professional Development On Elementary Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Mathematics Inquiry Instruction, Courtney Inabnitt

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In this study, a professional development (PD) seminar was designed and implemented with elementary pre-service teachers (n=20) enrolled in a mathematics content course at a small Midwestern university. The central focus of the PD was on bringing inquiry, specifically the 5E model, into mathematics instruction at the elementary level. The structure of the PD followed the 5E model format and participants learned about inquiry through inquiry. The study utilized a pre-post-test design and measured participants’ knowledge about the 5E model and beliefs about using inquiry in elementary mathematics instruction. Statistically significant growth from pre-test to post-test appears in …

Impact Of A Teacher Training Program To Increase Informative Praise And Decrease Commands And Negative Comments, Lauren A. Binford

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research has found that many children who come from a low socioeconomic background often begin their schooling careers behind most students. Head Start programs around the nation are utilized to close the gap in achievement, by providing those students with the educational support necessary to prepare them for future schooling. However, when assessed with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), Head Start programs have been found to be weaker in the area of Instructional Support. As a result, teachers are falling short in the way they provide feedback, incorporate higher thinking skills, and foster language development. In order to strengthen …

Wku International Student Teaching Program: Professional, Cultural, And Character Impacts On In-Service And Pre-Service Teachers, Meghan F. Althauser

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This project focuses on researching the effects of participation in WKU’s International Student Teaching Program on in-service and pre-service teachers. The program’s effect on teachers’ professional decisions made in the classroom and attitudes toward diversity in the classroom were the focus of this research. A mixed method approach of in-service teacher questionnaires and interviews, pre-service teachers interviews, and analysis of blogs/journals from in-service and pre-service teachers while they were abroad was used in this project. The results of the project have illustrated the benefits, as well as the professional, cultural, and character developments of participating in the WKU International Student …

An Exploratory Study Of Teacher Empowerment And Technical Education In Kentucky, Lee Ann Wall

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of empowerment and principal use of power within career and technical education in Kentucky. The researcher posits that, with the continual process of educational reform, principals need to understand what empowers teachers to perform as additional expectations and responsibilities are being mandated.

The researcher used a mixed methods design to examine power bases that career and technical education teachers perceived were used by their principals to identify teachers’ perceived empowerment, as well as influencers and barriers. Data were collected with a survey and two open-ended questions from …

Income Inequality, The Changing Nature Of Work And The Student Loan Crisis: Implications For Higher Education, Aaron W. Hughey

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Readers Matter: The Development Of An Individualized Professional Development Model, Daniel Jacob Super

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An alarming trend of student non-compliance with reading assignments in secondary and post-secondary environments is causing concern in many areas, including college readiness. Public school teachers and university faculty alike are responsible for the literacy levels of graduating students; however, many educators are not implementing the adequate literacy supports within their content area courses. This project used current research on best practice in literacy instruction, as well as the Characteristics of Highly Effective Teaching and Learning to create the Readers Matter™ evaluative process in which faculty members self-select to be assessed regarding the current levels of student literacy support. After …