Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Education Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Series

PDF

Liberty University

Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration

Education, Administration

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 15 of 15

Full-Text Articles in Education

A Phenomenological Investigation Into The Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Teachers Who Have Persisted In The Teaching Profession, Shana Market Norton Aug 2013

A Phenomenological Investigation Into The Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Teachers Who Have Persisted In The Teaching Profession, Shana Market Norton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study investigated the lived experiences of 12 secondary school teachers from public secondary schools in northern Georgia regarding their feelings about self-efficacy and why they have persisted in the teaching profession. The research questions centered around their perceptions on how self-efficacy influences the academic achievement of their students, on what personality characteristics they feel teachers add to their positive or negative self-esteem in teaching, and on what factors they identify as influencing their professional self-efficacy in teaching. Teacher self-efficacy, the belief in oneself to succeed at completing a task, is a key factor in retaining teachers. Four data …


Evaluating The Effectiveness Of An Intervention Mathematics Class For Low Achieving Middle School Students In Northwest Georgia, Johnnie Coats Jul 2013

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of An Intervention Mathematics Class For Low Achieving Middle School Students In Northwest Georgia, Johnnie Coats

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

High-stakes testing has become crucial in public education, requiring students to meet increasingly higher standards, regardless of their ability levels. This causal-comparative study sought to determine the effectiveness of an intervention mathematics course in the middle school setting for at-risk, sixth grade students. The Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) math scores of 143 at-risk students enrolled in a remediation mathematics course were compared to scores from a control population of 143 at-risk students who did not participate in the class. Math scores from the 2008 administration of the CRCT test were used as covariates, and comparisons were made using …


Mentoring: A Grounded Theory Study Examining How The Relationship Between The Mentor And Mentee Becomes Mutually Beneficial, David Martin Jul 2013

Mentoring: A Grounded Theory Study Examining How The Relationship Between The Mentor And Mentee Becomes Mutually Beneficial, David Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This grounded theory qualitative study examined the mentee/mentor relationship between five first year teachers and their five assigned mentors in a school district in Central Florida. To generate a model that seeks to explain how and why a mentee/mentor relationship changes and evolves from that of a single directional stream of information to that of a bidirectional stream which benefits the professional development of both parties, the grounded theory approach was utilized. Three forms of data were collected: interviews, focus groups, and participant journaling. This data along with artifacts and documents describing the school setting and the use of mentors …


A Qualitative Inquiry Into Teachers' Perceptions Of Change, Theresa Gardner Jan 2013

A Qualitative Inquiry Into Teachers' Perceptions Of Change, Theresa Gardner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify teachers' perceptions of how leadership styles and practices of administration can improve the process of broad-based change in an educational organization. The study focused on the lived experiences of 12 teachers and school administrators (coresearchers) during a major change in their school district. Guided interviews were utilized in order to understand the essence of their experiences. Results indicated the importance of communication during the process of change as it relates to perceptions of involvement, buy-in, self-worth, job satisfaction, and support and impact on instruction.


The Correlation Of The Perceived Leadership Style Of Middle School Principals To Teacher Job Satisfaction And Efficacy, Jack Dale Jr. Nov 2012

The Correlation Of The Perceived Leadership Style Of Middle School Principals To Teacher Job Satisfaction And Efficacy, Jack Dale Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study addressed the idea that a middle school principal could possibly impact teacher effectiveness in the classroom through the relationship of the teacher- perceived leadership style of the principal to teacher job satisfaction and efficacy. The sample consisted of 142 certified teachers from 8 public middle schools in an East Tennessee school district. Teachers completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, (Bass & Avolio, 2004) and the Job Satisfaction Survey, (Spector, 1994). Findings from this study suggest that the middle school teachers' perceptions of their principal's leadership did not have a statistically significant relationship to teacher job satisfaction. A new …


The Relationship Between Principal's Emotional Intelligence Quotient, School Culture, And Student Achievement, Jeff Noe Nov 2012

The Relationship Between Principal's Emotional Intelligence Quotient, School Culture, And Student Achievement, Jeff Noe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between secondary school principal's emotional intelligence quotient, school culture, and student achievement. Partial correlation was conducted to examine the degree of relationships between principal's emotional intelligence quotient and school culture controlling for the effect of student achievement, and between principal's emotional intelligence quotient and student achievement controlling for school culture. Multiple regression analysis was utilized to examine the combined effect of principal's emotional intelligence quotient and school culture on student achievement. The study population consisted of secondary school principals and teachers within Virginia Department of Education's Region VII. Quantitative data …


Effective Science Teaching In A High Poverty Middle School, Georgette Meyer May 2012

Effective Science Teaching In A High Poverty Middle School, Georgette Meyer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative case study described the characteristics of science teachers in a high poverty urban middle school whose 2010 scores on South Carolina's Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS) ranked second in the state. Data was obtained through classroom observations, open-ended interviews, school documents, and photographs taken inside the school from ten participants, who were seven science teachers, a science coach, and two administrators. Findings revealed a school culture that pursued warm and caring relationships with students while communicating high expectations for achievement, strong central leadership who communicated their vision and continuously checked for its implementation through informal conversations, frequent …


The Effectiveness Of School-Wide Positive Behavior Programs In Georgia Middle Schools, Kristy Rutland Arnold Apr 2012

The Effectiveness Of School-Wide Positive Behavior Programs In Georgia Middle Schools, Kristy Rutland Arnold

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Discipline issues and inappropriate student behavior in the classroom are issues that administrators and teachers throughout the country deal with on a daily basis and often lead to a loss of instructional time. This causal comparative study examined school-wide discipline programs and compared the behavior of students in schools using school-wide positive behavior management systems to the behavior of students in schools that do not implement school-wide programs based on the numbers of office referrals at each level of behavior. Three middle schools in one northwest county in Georgia were compared based on the presence of School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions …


A Hermeneutical Phenomenological Study Of The Role Of New Secondary School Assistant Principals, David Stanton Apr 2012

A Hermeneutical Phenomenological Study Of The Role Of New Secondary School Assistant Principals, David Stanton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study followed five secondary school assistant principals during the 2010-2011 school year. The participants range in age from their early 30s to early 50s, three of the participants serving as assistant principals in high schools; and two as assistant principals in middle schools. All five participants work in two school districts in Oakland County, Michigan, a suburban county northwest of Detroit and were promoted to administrative work within the past three years. The participants provided monthly calendars and journals along with discipline reports to demonstrate through their schedules, duties, and, most importantly, their own words, the experiences of …


A Phenomenological Study Of The Characteristics Of A High School That Influence Former Senior Year Dropouts To Graduate With A Regular Diploma, Rebecca Royal Mar 2012

A Phenomenological Study Of The Characteristics Of A High School That Influence Former Senior Year Dropouts To Graduate With A Regular Diploma, Rebecca Royal

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the characteristics of a high school environment that former senior year dropouts were looking for when they returned to school to attain their diploma. A phenomenological qualitative design was used to identify the reasons seniors dropped out of school, the factors that influenced them to return, the characteristics of the high school environment they deemed most desirable, and the differences between the perceptions of African American and Caucasian students in their responses. Eight former senior year dropouts from one South Georgia school district participated in two individual student interviews and one focus group interview to determine these …


The Relationship Of School Uniforms To Student Attendance, Achievement, And Discipline, Russell Edward Sowell Feb 2012

The Relationship Of School Uniforms To Student Attendance, Achievement, And Discipline, Russell Edward Sowell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This causal-comparative study examined the relationship of school uniforms to attendance, academic achievement, and discipline referral rates, using data collected from two high schools in rural southwest Georgia county school systems, one with a uniforms program and one without a uniforms program. After accounting for race and students with disabilities status, School A (with uniforms) had significantly better attendance and somewhat fewer minor behavior infractions, but trended lower in standardized math scores and more intermediate and major behavioral infractions than School B (without uniforms). These findings failed to demonstrate an unambiguous advantage of school uniforms, consistent with the mixed results …


The Effectiveness Of A Proactive School-Wide Discipline Plan On Office Discipline Referrals At The Elementary School Level, Elizabeth Anne Anderson Nov 2009

The Effectiveness Of A Proactive School-Wide Discipline Plan On Office Discipline Referrals At The Elementary School Level, Elizabeth Anne Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a proactive school-wide discipline plan on office discipline referrals, and as a predictor of incidents of chronic disciplinary referrals. The study examined two consecutive school years, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, with 2007-2008 being the control group without a school-wide discipline plan, and 2008-2009 the treatment group with a school-wide discipline plan in place for a full academic year. The purpose was to determine if there would be a statistically significant decrease in the number of office discipline referrals and the number of office discipline referrals which resulted in In-School or …


Addressing The Lack Of Male Elementary School Teachers: Factors That Influence Grade-Level Preference, Michael David Patrick Nov 2009

Addressing The Lack Of Male Elementary School Teachers: Factors That Influence Grade-Level Preference, Michael David Patrick

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine which, if any, specific factors are deterring male teachers from pursuing elementary education. The number of male elementary teachers in America's public school systems had continued to decline, and this survey sought to discover what specific factors had contributed to this. This study surveyed 231 male public school teachers from six different school districts in Tennessee, Georgia, and Missouri. Male participants recorded their viewpoints regarding male elementary teachers while at the same time they provided personal information concerning factors which contributed to their own personal grade level selection. Participants were surveyed to …


Teachers’ Perceptions Of How Leadership Styles And Practices Of Principals Influence Their Job Satisfaction And Retention, Eric Matthew Denton Jul 2009

Teachers’ Perceptions Of How Leadership Styles And Practices Of Principals Influence Their Job Satisfaction And Retention, Eric Matthew Denton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study addresses the challenge principals face in retaining highly qualified and effective teachers in their schools. Although efforts to recruit new teachers have proven successful, teachers are leaving education at alarming rates, especially in the first four years of their careers. The purpose of this study was to identify what school principals can do to increase teachers' job satisfaction and retention. To do so, 12 veteran teachers from four schools were interviewed from February to April 2009. The participants answered questions concerning their levels of job satisfaction, their perceptions of their principals' leadership styles, and their reasons for continuing …


The Relationship Of Principal Leadership And Teacher Morale, Keith A. Rowland Mar 2008

The Relationship Of Principal Leadership And Teacher Morale, Keith A. Rowland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This Study examined the relationship of the leadership practices of middle school principals and the morale of the teachers in these schools. Seven middle schools in a Metropolitan Atlanta school system participated in the study. The Leadership Practices Inventory was used to collect information on the principal practices and the Purdue Teacher Opinionaire was used to collect information on teacher morale. Results indicated that principal leadership and teacher morale were significantly correlated and that the leadership practice of Enable Others to Act had the strongest positive correlation to teacher morale. These results imply that a principal’s daily behavior plays a …