Education Commons^™

Instructional Rounds And Teacher Social/Emotional Wellbeing : Investigating The Regenerative Potential Of Peer Observation, Lisa Castelluber

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study focused on the regenerative potential of peer observation in a post-pandemic educational climate. Teachers shared that the culture of the profession was drastically changed during and after the pandemic partly due to the restrictions put in place that prevented colleague relationships from beginning or continuing and partly due to the negative public perception of teachers. As a result, this study aimed to discern how peer observation and modified instructional round practices might affect teachers’ social/emotional wellbeing. Through interviews, rounds, and focus group meetings, teachers were willing to share their vulnerabilities around their feelings of loneliness and their yearning …

Answering The Call Through An Inquiry Circle : English Educators Embark On A Journey To Become Antiracist, Lisa V. Kenny

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study examines a group of four English educators, two women of color and two white women, who self-identified as teachers for social justice as they formed a teacher inquiry group, called a teacher inquiry circle, as they attempt to become antiracist. The purpose of the inquiry circle was to answer the call to action for more equitable racially just schools that permeated the nation during the Covid-19 pandemic and after the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020. To conduct the study a feminist practitioner action research methodology was used, and a racial literacy framework was applied …

Towards A Pedagogy Of Human Connection : Understanding Teachers’ Experiences Of Connection During A Pandemic, Michael Diamond

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools shuttered quickly and re-opened slowly. These decisions impacted the well-being of teachers and students. Upon re-opening, schools in New Jersey adopted a range of instructional approaches—including virtual and hybrid models—that prioritized safety and diminished human connections. This came at a time when rates of isolation and loneliness were increasing and the US was already experiencing a crisis of connection. To understand teachers’ experiences with human connection during the winter and second spring of the COVID-19 pandemic, this dissertation study recruited nine high school teachers from one school in New Jersey who …

An Ecofeminist Investigation Of How Research Experiences For Science Teachers Influence Their Conceptualization Of The Nature Of Science And Their Construction Of Storied Science Identities, Suzanne Poole Patzelt

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study investigated how the figured world of the RET, and other figured worlds of science that teacher’s experience, impacted their conceptions around the nature of science and their identities in science and as science teachers. The main premise behind RET programs is that by partnering science teachers with scientists as mentors, science teachers will glean insight about science they can bring back into their classrooms. Although there is a large body of literature around the impacts of RETs as sites of PD for science teachers, there are several gaps this study aimed to address, such as the use of …

Faculty’S Experiences Teaching English Language Learners In Higher Education, Chedia A. Ayari

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Conducted in a large size four-year state university, the purpose of this qualitative study was to learn how faculty of multiple disciplines examined and made meaning of their instructional practices and decisions when teaching ELL students, how they modified their instruction to meet the needs of ELLs, and what they saw as areas of struggle when working with this student population. Critical pedagogy (Freire, 1970) was used as a theoretical framework to further investigate the complex nature of how higher education faculty make meaning of their instructional experiences when teaching ELLs within the hierarchical structures inherent in higher education and …

Healing That Leads To Action : Restorative Justice, School Leadership, And Institutional Change, Jose B. Celis

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

When immigrant youth are harmed by institutional policies and practices that reinforce idealized notions of nationalism and assimilation through subtractive and coercive strategies, school leaders can turn to restorative justice as a technology of resistance. This participatory action research study, with the author as a participant, captures four school leaders from Colorado, New York, and New Jersey, who interrogated institutional policies and practices and promoted authentic inclusion and equity for immigrant youth through restorative justice. As we participated in a process of collective restorative contemplation, we engaged in a form of personal healing that guided intentional and thoughtful action to …

Using Teacher Noticing And Video-Mediated Professional Learning To Develop Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge For Teaching The Derivative, Alfred M. Limbere

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study investigated how problem-solving videos can be used in video-mediated professional learning to support secondary preservice mathematics teachers (PMTs) in developing teacher knowledge for noticing student thinking in the context of the derivative concept in calculus. A model of the trajectory of PMTs’ noticing was constructed as six PMTs viewed and analyzed videos of students’ problem solving. At the same time, the nature of video-mediated interactions that were found to be productive in supporting this knowledge development was examined. A design experiment was used as the research methodology. Data was collected from video recordings of eight semi-structured teaching episodes …

Learning In A Community : An Investigation Of Mentor Inquiry Into Formative Assessment Practices, Erin Riley-Lepo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative, instrumental case study examined how a mentor inquiry community can serve as a space for mentors to articulate their knowledge and what about the inquiry community, its characteristics, might harm or help that development. Using Design-Based Research as the methodology, a mentor inquiry community, composed of three university-based mentors of preservice teachers and I engaged inquiry. Mentors showed their knowledge through their storytelling and problematizing each other’s work. The inquiry community was facilitated by shared symbolic language, and mentors’ off-task talk hindered the current work of the community but may have opened up new avenues of inquiry for …

Good Science Teaching In An Urban Middle School Context : An Examination Of The Relationship Between Science Teachers And Their Students, William J. Brown

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Good science teaching within an urban middle school context was examined in this qualitative methods study. This research also examined what middle school science teachers prioritized in an urban science classroom and uncovered ways in which culturally responsive teaching showcased itself among inservice teachers. Good science teaching and culturally responsive teaching strategies have been investigated, but its impact on urban middle school science classrooms with marginalized students is where the research is minute.

The data from the study revealed that the following culturally responsive teaching strategies are prioritized to have an impact on marginalized students in urban middle school classrooms: …

“How Am I A Maker Making A Makerspace?” : A Focus On Teachers In Practice Self-Authoring As Makers In Constrained K-8 Spaces, Bridget Looney

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Although there has been an abundance of empirical inquiry into making in recent years, interestingly, and despite growing interest in the integration of making into N-12 education, little seems to be known empirically about the ways in which teachers are implementing making and creating makerspaces in their own classrooms. Very little direct attention has been paid to ‘pioneer’ N-12 teachers who are engaging students in making. This gap in the research obscures our understanding of how teachers think about making, how they practice as teachers and makers, and how their school context might influence their teaching and making practices. This …

Reconsidering Professional Development Nnd Its Impact On Teacher Learning : An Examination Of Teacher Motivation In A Self-Directed Model Of Teacher Professional Development, Douglas M. Walker

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this study is to understand teacher perceptions of a self-directed professional learning model named Go Time. I examined the factors that influenced teacher learning and motivation to sustain learning in this model. This study contributes to the research on teacher professional development by examining a model that is self-directed and rooted in reflective practice. The study utilized a basic qualitative design in which 10 participants from a single school district participated in two rounds of semi-structured interviews. The purpose of the data collection was to understand teacher’s prior perceptions of professional development and their more current perceptions …

Analyzing The Reported Professional Learning Of Ninth-Grade Teachers Participating In An Interdisciplinary Team, Glynnis J. Childress

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Interdisciplinary teaming has been a hallmark of the middle school philosophy for over 30 years and consists of a multitude of benefits for teachers, ranging from job satisfaction to communal support. Yet, interestingly, there is little research on the benefits of interdisciplinary teaming at the high school level, even with an increased focus on teacher collaboration and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Thus, the purpose of this practitioner action research study was to examine the reported professional learning of ninth-grade teachers participating in an interdisciplinary team. The interdisciplinary team consisted of seven secondary level English, science, math, and social studies teachers, …

Preservice Teacher Action Research : Making Meaning And Generating Knowledge Through Inquiry, Rachel Ginsberg

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study, situated in a large state university, investigated how the experiences of preservice teachers conducting action research in their full-time clinical placements as part of a seminar course in a teacher education program fostered a critical teacher inquiry stance. I examined how action research allowed preservice teachers to generate personal and educational knowledge and how their inquiry influenced the ways in which they thought about how teachers make meaning and generate knowledge. Using critical teacher inquiry as a framework allowed a critical lens that prioritized the need and importance of viewing teachers’ inquiry in the classroom as a …

Sensemaking For Equity And Agency : Stem Teacher Learning Through A Community Of Practice Model, Karen Anne Woodruff

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The current vision for science education is to improve learning for all students by enacting teaching practices that make rigorous science content accessible to diverse learners. Science education, as a field, is shifting focus to be practice-based and equity-centered as students and their ideas become the focal point of the profession. The enactment of this vision calls for professional learning opportunities for teachers that support sensemaking and enactment of reform-based practices. This design-based study is an exploration of how ten science teachers negotiate issues of equity and professional agency in their teaching of the science and engineering practices through identified …

Queering Feminist Facilitation : A Culture Circle Discusses Gender & Sexuality, Kelly E. Lormand

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study examines the collaboration of fifteen high school educators who came together to dialogue addressing patriarchy, sexism, homophobia, and heteronormativity in our practices, curriculum, classrooms, and school. Additionally, this practitioner action research study examines my attempt to queer and disrupt feminist facilitation. The study was situated in a competitive and economically privileged school district in the Northeast with district-wide goal dedicated to cultural diversity and anti-biased language. Using Paulo Freire’s (1970/2004) model of culture circles and Souto-Manning’s (2010) critical cycle, the group transformed a traditional professional learning community (PLC) into a feminist, queer, and activist community. The group engaged …

Professional Capital Across The Careers Of Four Veteran Teachers, Stephanie Brown Tarnowski

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study investigated veteran teachers’ professional experiences over 3 decades of their teaching careers. Drawing from professional capital theory (Hargreaves & Fullan, 2012), I present 4 veteran elementary public-school teachers’ experiences and development of their professional capital over nearly 3 decades of their careers. I examined 3 dimensions of the professional lives of teachers: (1) the ways in which they developed their teaching expertise; (2) the kinds of decision-making possibilities they experienced; and (3) the kinds of interactions and relationships that were fostered in their professional communities. The research question that shaped my study was: In what ways do …

New Teacher Induction : Locating New Teacher Needs To Co-Construct Induction Programs, Thomas M. D’Elia

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study focused on the transition period from pre-service to teaching known as new teacher induction. Using new teacher voices within third space qualitative interviews to better understand how new teachers made sense of their induction period within a school district, the findings from this study suggest that new teachers are not only faced with immediate and longterm needs that they must fulfill, but also new teachers must make sense of their school environments and the micropolitical atmospheres they must work in. Using the voices of new teachers and teacher coaches within a school district, this study examined how districts …

Fostering Mathematical Creativity Among Middle School Mathematics Teachers, Ceire H. Monahan

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this research was to understand in-service teachers’ experiences with and ideas about mathematical creativity after participating in a targeted professional development program. The professional development program encouraged participants to think creatively and foster students’ creativity. In this study I present the results from the main unit of analysis, 12 participants in a professional development program, along with a deep analysis of three exemplar teachers from each of the identified groups, adherence to traditional teaching practices (traditional), appreciation for teaching for creativity (creative but hesitant), and teaching for creativity (creative). The findings of this study highlight the combination …

Teaching The New Majority : Addressing Race And Racism Through Culturally Responsive Teaching, Graziela Lobato-Creekmur

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Studies have shown that culturally responsive teaching and its praxis appear very differently in various K-8 classrooms, while addressing race and racism are often absent from the classroom. However, these studies also support that pedagogical theories and practice such as these address the needs of students of color. Therefore, through a critical race theory lens, I explored teachers’ life history, how this influenced their classroom practice, and how they addressed race and racism in their professional lives. Narrative inquiry methods were used to uncover answers to addressing race and racism in the classroom through three teachers’ culturally responsive instruction. The …

Transitioning Secondary Mathematics Pedagogy Towards Reform-Oriented Practice Through Coteaching, Jessica Tybursky Nuzzi

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Reform standards in mathematics education have called for classrooms that are student-centered and that incorporate problem solving and reasoning for meaningful learning. After decades of reform efforts involving multiple stakeholders, research indicates that most classrooms remain teacher-centered and procedurally focused, due to the complexity of concerns and competing intentions that teachers face in their work. Coteaching, a commitment between two teachers to coplan, coenact, and coreflect on lessons, can serve as an ongoing, sustained, focused, integrated, reflective professional development structure that supports teachers towards growth. The theoretical constructs used to describe possible growth towards reform orientations in teaching secondary mathematics …

Understanding The Core Practices Of The Student Teaching Practicum Within The Student Teacher/Cooperating Teacher Relationship: Constructing A Framework For The Student Teaching Practicum Using An Ethic Of Care, Candice Chiavola

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Often considered an experience in instructional preparation for preservice teachers, the student teaching practicum is both a practical and relational experience for both the cooperating teacher and student teacher. In this qualitative study, I examine both the instructional and relational core practices cooperating teachers enact with and for their student teachers during the student teaching practicum. Informed by case study methods, I first identified core instructional and relational practices and analyzed them through two texts: Mary Kennedy’s Parsing the Practice of Teaching (2016) and Nel Noddings’s Caring and Moral Education (2008, 2013). Using grounded theory, I then constructed a framework …

Navigating Inquiry Group Professional Learning For In-Service Teachers With Mainstreamed English Language Learners : A Practitioner Action Research Study, Jennifer Wnuk

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

For this study, I initiated an inquiry group to research how to meet the needs of mainstreamed English language learning (ELL) students. I chose a practitioner action research design with a socially critical lens in order to address the injustice inherent in the district where I currently work and inform future policy. Although what we learned about meeting the needs of mainstreamed ELL students was important to our individual professional development, the research did not yield new findings for the body of educational research on instruction for language learners. The primary contribution of this practitioner action research study was how …

A Community Of Practice Approach To Teacher Learning, Jayne L. Tanis

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Teacher effectiveness has been targeted by government agencies and educational think tanks for raising student achievement and providing equitable education for all. Exploring how teachers enacted their development of practice in a teacher-initiated learning community of practice to improve student achievement in mathematics exposed mediating factors responsible for teacher learning. This qualitative study drew upon Aristotle’s discussion of phronesis and Lave and Wenger’s (1991) concept of legitimate peripheral participation to interpret how artifacts produced within and across communities of practice reified the elements of collaborative teacher learning that lead to changes in instructional practice during a reform initiative. These findings …

Using Video To Reframe The Teacher Evaluation Process As A Professional Learning Experience : An Action Research Study, Andrew C. Matteo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this action research study was to work with a group of teachers to refine an organizational routine dealing with teacher evaluation with the dual goals of (a) increasing the teachers’ sense of professionalism and improving the technical core of their work—instruction— and (b) moving toward a routine that the district will be able to use in the future. The research question that guided this work was, “How do we experience the organizational routine that I developed using video for teacher evaluation for improving teacher practice as compared to the existing teacher evaluation system, and how does our …

Grassroots Professional Learning : The Homegrown And Human Dimensions Of Teacher Learning, Heather A. Frank Matteo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study was prompted by the current climate of teacher accountability and educational reform efforts focused on teacher quality and effectiveness in the U.S. Initiatives, at both the national and state levels, reflect top-down professional development policies that tend to prioritize one-size-fits-all approaches to teacher development and ultimately serve to deprofessionalize teachers. As a result, little attention has been paid to understanding teachers’ professional learning in a grassroots sense. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine how a group of elementary school teachers of literacy engaged collectively in grassroots professional learning in the context of top-down professional …

The Social Capital In Teacher Leadership Activities, Kristen Trabona

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This dissertation presents findings from a qualitative case study of two K-12 science teacher leader fellows involved in a corporate grant funded professional development program. I specifically examined how teacher leaders used social capital as they facilitated professional development in their schools. I explored the following question: How do teacher leadership activities facilitated by novice teacher leaders who participate in a grant funded teacher leadership professional development program rely on social capital to enact change? The following main themes emerged in the data: (a) intentionality plays a critical role in teacher leadership; (b) teacher leadership activities require an introspective lens; …

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy : The Views Of Latinx Students Inform Teacher Professional Development On Critical Consciousness, Florita Cotto

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The number of Latinx K-12 students has grown dramatically over recent years. There are approximately 12.5 million Latinx students in U.S. public schools. Despite these large population gains, inner city Latinx students continue to struggle academically. Their dropout rate is almost two times higher than that of white students, making it the highest of all ethnic and racial groups. In the past several decades, there has been a focus on accountability, school choice, and various other educational reforms that have been implemented with an aim to improve student performance. However, these reform efforts have not yielded the desired change and …

Institutional Racism And The Transformative Practices Of Black Women Educators In New York City Alternative Education, Gail M. Perry-Ryder

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

How does a teaching practice meet structural violence and oppression? And, how do teachers navigate systems they wish to change, in which they are also participating? This study is a qualitative investigation of institutional racism and power in U.S. alternative educational settings, and the knowledge and experiences of six Black women educators working to counteract the problem from the inside. There is a vast literature on preparing teachers for diverse classrooms; however, it has not adequately represented teachers who deploy transformative practices to directly challenge institutional racism in nontraditional educational settings, nor has it addressed the costs associated with doing …

Understanding Epistemic Cognition : Aspects That Emerge When Early Childhood Teachers Consider Materials And Plan Instruction For Literacy Learning, Kit Marie Saiz De La Mora

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain insight into early childhood teachers’ engagement in epistemic cognition in the context of literacy instruction practices. Early literacy instruction was an important context to examine epistemic cognition because of the complexity of the teaching task. Early literacy instruction involves the simultaneous consideration of knowledge about multiple components of language structure in addition to knowledge of pedagogy, child development, and understandings of immediate socio-cultural context.

Teacher educators need to know how teachers think about knowledge in these multiple areas when they are planning early literacy instruction so they can effectively prepare them …

Everyday Enactments Of Resistance : Portraits Of Secondary Public School Teachers Navigating New Professionalism, Susan D’Elia

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

New professionalism has changed the roles and responsibilities of teachers. It has created a professional culture that prioritizes managerialism, bureaucracy, standardization and assessment, and performance review. This shift has created tension and anxiety amongst teachers, but a population of teachers continue to openly question, resist, or protest directives that do not align with their goals and values. The goal of this study was to gain understanding of the lived experiences of veteran, secondary, public school teachers who have attempted to find ways to navigate and resist new professionalism. Using Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot’s portraiture method, participants’ narratives bring life to the ways …