Education Commons^™

Why Teachers Stay: An Exploration Of Why Mid-Career Teachers Remain In Teaching, Jennifer K. Mccorvey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Much of the current literature on teacher retention centers around early-career teachers, with far less addressing mid-career teacher attrition. This research study explores the positive and negative experiences of five mid-career teachers, Toni, Sean, Susan, Debbie, and Jacqueline, explicitly focusing on the experiences that influenced their decisions to remain teaching. The participants were Teacher Leadership Academy alumni, a professional learning community in two separate Professional Development School programs. I used a qualitative case-study approach to examine the teachers’ experiences and Identity Theory as a lens through which to view the findings. Semi-structured interviews and participant-constructed timelines were the primary sources …

A Culturally Responsive And Sustaining Pre-School: Collaborative Approaches To Curriculum In An Underserved Florida Community, Dana R. Roberts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The early childhood education and childcare (ECE&C) sector in America “is a textbook example of a broken market” (Yellen, 2021) that operates as a “non-system” (Berlin, 2021). This manifests itself through the low-quality of its teaching cadre (Cassidy et al., 2019). This failure hits disadvantage families hardest (Chafouleas et al., 2016) - a reality that is particularly apparent in St. Petersburg, Florida’s Midtown neighborhoods where one out of every two children attending ECE programs are not meeting State school readiness standards (Florida OEL, 2020). In this study, I propose a culturally-responsive (Gay, 2018), culturally sustaining (Ladson-Billings, 2021c), and equity-based continuous …

The Effects Of A Multicomponent Informational Text Reading Intervention On Comprehension: A Multiple Baseline Study, Lesley S. Noel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I present the findings from the implementation of aninformational text reading comprehension intervention. Using a single-case multiple baselines across participants’ experimental design, I examined results from three small heterogeneous groups of three to four students during the literacy block in a suburban fourth-grade classroom in a large school district in the southeastern United States. I designed a multi-component intervention with explicit instruction of informational text features to investigate the impacts on intermediate students’ oral retell and main idea statements. My research was guided by the following questions: (1) To what extent does participation in ITMI improve fourth-grade …

Testimonios Of Civic Pedagogy: Developing Critical Literacy Skills Using Civics And Holocaust Studies, Tameka Parenti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Civics using Holocaust Studies offer a variety of pedagogical advantages. Regardless of the topic, Holocaust events can be used to build critical analytical skills and cultivate essential literacy skills about the social world. Further, the Holocaust can be used to introduce and grapple with the complex/abstract ideas of the civics content. Given the relationship that social studies has to critical literacy development, civics used in conjunction with Holocaust resources present teacher(s) (educators) with the opportunity to explore (theoretical) concepts foregrounding manifold relationships making up the social world.

This research aimed to examine how secondary students connect to the social world …

An Exploration Of Accelerated Student Perspectives On Participation Experiences And Making Career Choices, Jennifer Meier

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Acceleration program options have grown rapidly in Florida and have been used to help students pursue an associate or bachelor’s degree. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences that former dual enrolled students had with selecting a major and a career. A snowball sampling approach was used to identify ten participants from the southwestern region of Florida with 12 or more credit hours from dual enrollment. Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) was the conceptual framework used to help guide this study. The instrumentation for data collection included a short survey followed by a semi-structured interview. The …

Exploring Engagement And Persistence Through The Lens Of Student Experiences In A Sonography Program, Josephine Elizabeth Peck

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The juxtaposition of the increased current and future demand for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers and high attrition rates in many sonography programs emphasizes the need for colleges to do more to educate and train sonography practitioners who are prepared to enter the healthcare workforce. Additionally, a gap exists in understanding student engagement and persistence in Sonography programs. By filling this gap, pertinent answers about student success or lack thereof in these Sonography programs can be addressed.

This basic qualitative study aims to explore student engagement and persistence through the prism of their experiences in AS(DMS) programs at four-year state colleges in …

Educating Culturally Relevant Leaders: Experiences In Leadership Identity, Capacity, And Efficacy Development In College Students, Ana C. Maia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation study explored meaningful experiences contributing to students’ identity, capacity, and efficacy development as culturally relevant leaders. In Chapter One, I detailed the importance and relevance of this topic in the field of higher education. Then, I reviewed the literature on college student leadership development; defined leadership identity, capacity, and efficacy development; and culturally relevant leadership learning (CRLL; Bertrand Jones et al., 2016). In the third chapter, I described the qualitative methodological approach to uncovering how college students develop leadership identity, capacity, and efficacy to engage in culturally relevant leadership. I approached this study from a critical constructivist paradigm. …

Beliefs, Identity, And An African American Cemetery: An Exploratory Study Of Difficult History Curricular Decision- Making, Shannon Peck-Bartle

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this qualitative exploratory study, I examine the influence of administrative curricular decision-makers’ beliefs and values towards race and ethnicity, heritage, and place on curricular aims for the inclusion of local difficult history associated with the erasure of a racialized cultural landscape, The Ridgewood Cemetery. I additionally examine the influence of contemporary issues on beliefs and values as administrative curricular decision-makers navigate ways to incorporate local cemetery history into secondary social studies curriculum. Through semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and research’s reflective journaling I shed light on ways beliefs, values, and contemporary issues influenced administrative curricular decision-making for local difficult history. …

“Sometimes I Do This Thing”: Exploring Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge And Beliefs About Reading Instruction, Sherridon Leigh Sweeney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior research has established preservice literacy teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning are often misguided and/or overly-simplistic, yet limited work has examined in what ways their in-the-moment teaching decisions align or misalign with what they believe. This qualitative study used deductive analysis methods to: (1) Identify three preservice teachers’ knowledge/beliefs about reading, reading instruction, and learning, as evidenced by their planning, reflecting, and in-the-moment teaching decisions, and (2) investigate if/how participants’ knowledge/beliefs manifested across multiple teaching experiences. Findings indicate that while participants made attempts to act on professional ideas they explored/practiced with the support of a university-based mentor, they taught …

Assessing Required Hospitality Competencies Among Students, Industry Professionals, And Faculty, Angad Singh Dang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the competencies important for success in the hospitality industry, based on the perceptions of hospitality faculty, professionals, and students. To identify the competencies, the research employed the following steps: initial survey development, input from a focus group panel of experts, review by validation panel of experts on revised survey, pilot study of process for final survey and data collection using the revised questionnaire. The study targeted hospitality students who were enrolled in a 4-year undergraduate degree program, faculty who taught in a 4-year hospitality under-graduate or graduate program, and hospitality professionals who …

An Exploratory Study Of Technology Use By Older/Senior Men For Enrichment, Communication, And Social Connectedness, Emerson Campbell Hardy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

More older adults are moving toward options for digital connection; keeping up with and learning technology is challenging. Older adults’ perceptions of the difficulty of learning to use technology may contribute to their hesitancy to adopt technology options (Barnard, Bradley, Hodgson, & Lloyd, 2013). The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to explore the experiences of older/senior men learning and using technology for enrichment, communication, and social connectedness; and (2) to identify learning experiences and/or supports that aided these older/senior men in building knowledge, confidence, and comfort in technology use.

This was an exploratory qualitative study utilizing in-depth interviews. …

Physician Burnout: A Curriculum Design Study, Dian A. Ginsberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study created and evaluated an educational intervention that addressed the remediation of physician burnout on an organizational level. This quality improvement study explores existing programs and applies innovation to improve the depth and scalability of a physician burnout program.

Behavior Analytic Interventions For Promoting Skill Acquisition In Individuals With Asd: Two Case Studies, Taylor Marie Comber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This report describes two case studies that used behavior analytic interventions to promote skill acquisition during structured instructional activities for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The first study examined the effects of presession pairing (PSP) implemented by a teacher in the natural classroom setting for a 6-year-old with ASD whose problem behavior was associated with gaining access to attention and escaping from task demands. Results showed PSP augmented with a visual cue resulted in increased on-task behavior and decreased disruptive behavior. The second study examined the use of discrete trial training (DTT) for a 16-year-old female adolescent with ASD …

Counseling Clients With Traumatic Brain Injury: Exploring Counselors’ Perceived Knowledge, Comfort, And Self-Awareness, Michelle Bradham-Cousar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The number of traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnoses continues to rise each year. Counseling is a critical factor in TBI treatment, and although numerous studies have investigated TBI outcomes, a paucity of researchers have studied professional counselors’ knowledge, comfort, and self-awareness when working with TBI clients. Due to the diversity of counselor caseloads, it is likely that counselors will serve clients with a dual diagnosis that includes TBI. These dual diagnoses include depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, psychosis, or another neurocognitive disorder. The purpose of this study was to explore counselors’ knowledge, comfort, and self-awareness when working with individuals with …

Elevating Training Effectiveness: Exploring The Factors In The Learner’S Environment That Influence Training Transfer, Michael Summers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Considerable evidence from science and business practice suggests that a tremendous amount of money and effort is spent by organizations on designing and delivering training programs so that employees adopt and use their newly acquired skills and knowledge when they return to their jobs. A large percentage of that money is often wasted due to missed opportunities to create a conducive transfer climate for workers expected to change the way they work as an outcome of training. The extensive literature on training transfer supports the existence of work environment factors that influence the application of training. The focus of this …

Leading The Way: A Critical Narrative About The Creation Of An Online Professional Development Program, Otis Wilder

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Leading the Way is a narrative examination of how I (the author) built a professional development training program for the hospitality industry in cooperation with my university and numerous hospitality industry leaders from our community. The program was developed over the course of a year by a large team of people working together to create the Hospitality Leadership Program (HLP). My role in the creation of the HLP was that of instructional designer and curriculum developer. The purpose of the narrative is to provide a critical view of the interactions between the fields of instructional design and curriculum development during …

Roma Girls Expressing Identity, Aspirations, And Voice Through Participatory Arts-Based Research, Crista Kaye Banks

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The methods by which Roma girls are studied and represented, do not account for their individual expressions of identity, aspirations or voice. Experiences and voices of Roma girls have rarely been seen or heard and have been consistently defined and represented by non-Roma individuals throughout history and within academia, which has perpetuated stereotypes. Interpretations of the image and lives of the Romani are permeated with misperceptions, myths, and assumptions based on stereotypical definitions.

This study uses the arts-based method of mixed media collage with Roma girls in London, England, to understand their expressions of identity, aspirations, and voice. This arts-based, …

New Gta’S And The Pre-Semester Orientation: The Need For Informed Refinement, Jessica L. Griffith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In a First Year Composition (FYC) setting, many courses are taught by graduate assistants, regardless of if these instructors are truly qualified to teach. Incoming instructors must balance their roles as students with that of brand-new teachers, with each of them attempting to incorporate their own pedagogical approach. Therefore, it would benefit FYC programs to have a solid training program in place, specifically with the pre-semester orientation, in order to smoothly transition these new instructors.

To clarify, this is not to suggest that many programs are not already strong. It does suggest that programs must adapt to the changing climate …

A New Literacy Coach And Two English Language Arts Teachers Learn Together: A Narrative Inquiry, Christiana C. Succar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literacy coaching is not new to education. Since the 2001 shift in the United States (U.S.) educational policy towards high-quality teacher training, accountability, and student achievement, literacy or reading coach positions have been a core part of the educational institution (U. S. Department of Education, 2003). However, with undefined coaching roles and inadequate coach training early in the initiative, minimal impact on effective teacher development and instructional shifts towards closing the achievement gap occurred (Dole, 2003; International Reading Association, 2004).

In the past ten years, more understanding of literacy coaches’ roles and responsibilities has occurred with the publication of numerous …

Assessing Study Abroad Relationship With Perceived Global Competence Levels Of Undergraduate Business Students, Pavla Ozkul

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Educating for global competence is vital if college graduates are to thrive in today’s technology driven and globally competitive world. One strategy for introducing students to unknown cultures and gaining important life skills is participation in a study abroad experience.

The purpose of this exploratory quasi-experimental research design study was to assess the relationship between perceived global competence levels and participation in study abroad experiences of business undergraduate students. The study assessed three dimensions of personal development: cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal in a multicultural environment using a total of six global competence scales. Data were gathered from business undergraduate students …

Effects Of A Spanish Phonological Awareness Intervention On Latino Preschoolers' Dual Language Emergent Literacy Skills, Xigrid T. Soto

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Young children’s emergent literacy skills, particularly phonological awareness (PA) and alphabet knowledge (AK), are two of the strongest predictors of future reading skill. There is limited research evaluating the effectiveness of emergent literacy interventions on the dual language PA and AK skills of at-risk Latino preschoolers who are Dual Language Learners (DLLs). The bulk of existing interventions are conducted only in English. There is preliminary evidence supporting that DLL Latino children benefit from Spanish PA and AK instruction; however, few studies include preschool-aged children.

This study applied a multiple probe design across units of instruction to evaluate the effects of …

Beyond Replicative Technology: The Digital Practices Of Students With Literacy-Related Learning Difficulties Engaged In Productive Technologies, Aimee Frier

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I present the findings from a qualitative case study of the digital literacy integration of a teacher and the digital literacy practices of three students with literacy-related learning difficulties within her classroom. As a researcher, I was interested in the ways students with literacy- related learning difficulties navigated digital tools in a technology-infused environment created by a teacher who has experience using digital tools for instructional and student-learning purposes. My research was guided by the following questions: (1) What was the context, content, and structure of the teacher’s technology instruction? (2) In what ways did the students …

Investigating Transformation: An Exploratory Study Of Perceptions And Lived Experiences Of Graduate Teaching Assistants, Christina M. Partin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are becoming increasingly responsible for undergraduate instruction in the landscape of higher education. These experiences may serve as a pipeline for career readiness and success in faculty positions. Yet, the experiences of graduate teaching assistants are largely unexplored. This study describes the perceptons and experiences of a selected sample of GTAs, including their perceptions of available support, and the role of that support in navigating potential disorienting dilemmas.

Existing literature suggests that disorienting dilemmas lead to transformative experiences through an internal process of critical self-reflection, but neglects the possibility of differential outcomes to disorienting dilemmas. Further, …

"We're Not Going To Talk About That:" A Qualitative Case Study Of Three Elementary Teachers' Experiences Integrating Literacy And Social Studies, Rebecca L. Powell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this interpretive, qualitative multi-case study (Merriam, 2001; Stake, 1995) was to describe the experiences of three elementary classroom teachers as they integrated literacy and social studies during their literacy instruction. This study was grounded in an interpretivist paradigm and a theoretical lens of symbolic interactionism. The guiding questions were: What are the experiences of three elementary teachers when integrating literacy and social studies instruction? What information do teachers use when making decisions about integrated instruction? How do teachers’ beliefs align with their practices? How do teachers organize, plan for, and provide integrated instruction, including how they use …

The Common Core State Standards And The Elementary Social Studies Curriculum: A Case Study Of Teacher Perceptions In Florida, Kacie M. Nadeau

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The most recent phase of curriculum reform in the era of accountability is the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) which have essentially reshaped the landscape of public education. Its objective of preparing K-12 students for college and career upon high school graduation have prioritized English language arts, mathematics, and science over social studies, which is not part of widespread high-stakes testing for elementary students. This qualitative case study investigated eleven intermediate elementary teachers’ perceptions of alignment between CCSS and the elementary social studies curriculum. Data gathering analysis included two semi-structured interviews and an archival analysis of the mandated curriculum. The …

Understanding And Applying Emotional Intelligence: A Qualitative Study Of Tampa Veterans Administration Hospital Employees, Brenda Webb Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emotional intelligence (EI) has not been studied extensively within the Veterans’ Health Administration (VHA). The VHA is the largest healthcare organization in America with over 360,000 employees and the organization invests heavily in competency development. The Tampa VA is a level 1 facility with over 5,000 employees in the Tampa Bay area. The facilities Education office offers competency development through soft skills training, leadership development, and contracted courses that include emotional intelligence for leaders.

The purpose of this study was to better discern ten Tampa VA medical center employees understanding and application of EI competence within their personal and professional …

Perceptual Learning Style Modalities: Comparing Latino, Black, And Caucasian Adults, Nicolle Chantelle Hardy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the individual learning modalities of Latino, Black, and Caucasian males and females with at least some college education utilizing the Multi-modal Paired Associates Learning Test IV (MMPALT IV). Using the MMPALT IV, 20 participants from each of the three race/ethnicities above the age of 40 were measured in each of the seven perceptual modalities: Visual, Print, Aural, Interactive, Haptic, Kinesthetic, and Olfactory. The MMPALT IV is a performance-based test, which measures a person’s capacity to acquire information through each of the seven learning channels.

ANOVA tests (2 x 3) with a …

An Exploratory Case Study Of Hospitality Students’ Perceptions Of Experiential Learning, Joe Askren

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how students described the curriculum in the Introduction to Food Production class and how they perceived the curriculum prepared them for their future in the hospitality industry. The exploratory questions that guided the study were how do students describe the experiential learning curriculum in the Introduction to Food Production course, what ways do students perceive the curriculum in the Introduction to Food Production course prepares them for their future in hospitality industry, and what changes in the curriculum do students think might improve the Introduction to Food Production course and why? The …

The Relationship Of Self-Awareness To Leadership Effectiveness For Experienced Leaders, Patricia Sullivan Sullivan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between leaders’ self-awareness and their effectiveness. The population included leaders with at least five years of experience in a leadership role. Participants were recruited by snowball sampling methods; the researcher used a diverse network of professionals to recruit other leaders from diverse industries. Each leader completed a 35-survey questionnaire along with demographic questions (gender, education, years in leadership role, industry), and was required to ask at least four direct reports to complete the 35 questions about observed behaviors of their leader. After removing incomplete responses, the final sample included N …

Attitudes Toward Adult Education Among Adult Learners Without A High School Diploma Or Ged, Andrea Rose Bennett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore attitudes toward adult education among adult learners without a high school diploma or the General Educational Development (GED). In this study, adult learners without a high school diploma or GED completed the Attitudes Toward Adult Education Scale (AACES) and selected respondents volunteered to participate in a face-to-face interview in conjunction with the mixed methods section of the study. For this study, I used a 5-point Likert scale to measure the responses on the 22-item AACES survey.

Three hundred and fifty respondents participated in the study. Descriptive statistics and a three-way ANOVA revealed …