Education Commons^™

Professionalism In Early Childhood Education, Kimberly R. Thai

Master's Theses

This grounded theory analysis uses participant interviews and document analysis to further understand the lived experiences of teachers and leaders in Early Child Education. The thesis was set out to explore the following research questions: How do ECE leaders and teachers understand teacher professionalism? What is the role of whiteness and gender in teacher professionalism? and What is the relationship between the ideas of professionalism and the local context in ECE? The study finds that insiders have strong notions of professional conduct but that exploring professionalism was a site of contention for the participants. Two responses to issues of professionalism …

The Blaeser Training Taxonomy, Timothy Blaeser

Doctorate in Education

This research was undertaken to determine the efficacy of using andragogy, assessment, and quality control for training in a modern industrial workplace, with findings indicating that these modern training techniques can be implemented with success in this context. While andragogy, pioneered by Knowles, has been used in many areas of adult education, it has not been found to be commonly used in the industrial workplace. The study focused on Finnish trainers using the Blaeser Training Taxonomy – a training program utilizing elements of andragogy and assessment wrapped into quality control. Using a mixed methods questionnaire, trainers reported their training results, …

The Negative Impacts Of Social Media Use On Adolescent Social-Emotional Development, Jill E. Funk

Culminating Experience Projects

The topic of this project is to inform all caregivers- educators, administration, parents/guardians- including students themselves of the negative impacts social media use can have on the social-emotional development of adolescents. This project involves teenagers also known as “iGen”, their social-emotional development, appropriate use of social media, and digital citizenship. In developed countries where teenagers frequently use social media, there is a great need to be aware of the risks that can result from this usage such as poor body image, self-esteem issues, depressive symptoms, cyberbullying, and sometimes suicidal thoughts. Parents/guardians, teachers, librarians, school counselors, and school administrators who are …

Factors Influencing Nnes Students' Acts Of Plagiarism, Amy O Benson

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Building Confidence Of Academic Library Staff In The Selection Of Culturally Authentic Native American Picture Books, Cassondra Leeport

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study aimed to explore the confidence and ability of library staff to select and identify culturally authentic Native American picture books. The researcher, a self-identified Native American, developed a tool designed to assist in library staff in identifying key elements of a picture book that lend themselves to a work being culturally authentic. Assisting patrons in selecting materials is a key element in the library profession. The setting of this research is a university with a large Professional Education Program as well as a documented dedication to serving Native students and surrounding tribal communities and the participants of the …

Strategies To Overcome Special Education Teacher Burnout, Amber Eastwood

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Special education teacher burnout has been a topic of concern dating back to the 1970s when it was first identified and conceptualized and has since been a growing trend in the field of education (Embse, 2019). With the everchanging world of education, the demands of a special education teacher have grown and are causing new triggers that are contributing to their burnout. Research is showing that 40% of new teachers are leaving the profession within the first five years of teaching with stress and burnout at the top of the list contributing to their departure (Herman, 2020). Since researching about …

An Examination Of Leadership Needs, Preparation, And Expectations In Rural Indigenous Communities, Roselyn Carroll-Trujillo

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

ABSTRACT Every single person has leadership ability. Some step up and take them. Some don't. My answer was to step up and lead. ̴Wilma Mankiller ̴ How well prepared are New Mexico school leaders to serve in leadership positions in rural communities with high ratios of Indigenous populations? In this study, I utilized an Indigenous research paradigm to explore policy, reciprocal relationships, licensure requirements in one state, and perceptions from a variety of individuals in rural communities to develop an understanding of what is necessary to create and sustain successful school leadership in an Indigenous community. An Indigenous paradigm of …

Engagement In Music Education In The Upper Elementary Grades, Abigail Jirik

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The research was based on observations from the researcher’s time in the elementary music classroom and addresses the decline of willingness to participate in students in the upper elementary grades. The research addresses the following two research questions; how do family and student attitudes and dynamics towards singing affect student participation in singing in elementary music class? And in what ways could singing be presented and included in instruction to better engage the older elementary learner? The researcher selected fourth and fifth grade students as the participants in the study. Students were given surveys asking questions about participation and attitudes …

Levels Of Influence: How Teacher Self-Efficacy Reflects Individual, School, And Country Level Variables, Rachel B. Goldberg

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study investigates relationships between teacher self-efficacy and associated factors not previously studied at an international level. This study used the data gathered through the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessment conducted in 2018, with an initial sample size of 107,367 participating teachers from 6,128 schools across 19 countries to gain a global perspective regarding the individual and environmental factors that impact teacher self-efficacy. A blocked hierarchical regression model was chosen to support the theoretical structure of the analysis by examining the relationships between three levels of independent variables and teacher self-efficacy. The model predicted over 30 percent of …

A Descriptive Study Of Doctoral Graduates’ Perceptions Of Mentoring By Their Dissertation Chairs, Amanda Blount

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this non-experimental study was to examine doctoral graduates’ satisfaction with the mentoring provided by their dissertation chairs. The relationships between doctoral students and their dissertation chairs can positively or negatively influence a doctoral student’s dissertation journey. The researcher developed and validated a survey to determine doctoral graduates’ perceptions of mentoring by their dissertation chairs based on best practices in the literature. The online survey was announced nationwide using email and social media: 133 graduates from multiple disciplines and institutions responded with complete data. The responses were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the analyses …

Cultivating Culturally Responsive Elementary Teachers In A Suburban Title I School, Angela L. Mack

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Research suggests increased enrollment of students with diverse cultural, racial, linguistic, and social backgrounds will continue in schools across the United States over the coming years; thereby, imposing a challenge for some teachers with differing backgrounds to instruct culturally and linguistically diverse students. Without adequate professional development focused on culturally responsive teaching, it has been purported teachers will continue to adopt deficit perceptions and subpar practices that negatively impact students of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Thus, this study aimed to explore how a series of in-service professional development focused on culture, race, and pedagogy may influence teacher perceptions and …

Teachers Leading Teachers: An Approach To Content-Area Literacy Instruction To Address Inequitable Education, Leah Metivier-Kearney

Culminating Experience Projects

The current state of education establishes the norm of consistent literacy intervention in elementary education and through specialized accommodations thereafter; unfortunately, many students reach secondary levels without the literacy skills necessary to be successful in their classes and beyond into adulthood. The task of managing this gap is overwhelming, and it stems from various economic, racial, and situational variables that schools cannot address entirely. Instead, teachers may make the choice to improve the equity within their immediate environments by prioritizing equity through direct literacy instruction, consequently providing opportunities for these students to attain those necessary skills for lifelong success.

The …

School Transportation Protocol And Procedures Related To Students’ Safety And Discipline: Reflective Experiences Of School Bus Drivers And School Administrators, David Luke

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation deals with the protocol and procedures related to students’ safety and discipline while on a school bus as experienced by school bus drivers’ and school administrators’ experiences as a guide for changes to the existing programs. The following was the overarching research question that guided the study: How do school bus drivers and school administrators describe their reflective experiences related to bus driver training and protocol and procedures associated with student safety and discipline?

A qualitative research design was selected for the study. A case study approach was used to collect and analyze data for the study.

Participants …

Implementing Food Science-Based Instruction In Career Technical Education Courses, Jasmine D. Hendrix

Theses and Dissertations

Students are exposed to food concepts in agriculture-based career technical education (CTE) courses which provide a gateway for students to become more aware of food science career pathways. Professional development for Mississippi (MS) CTE teachers is needed to effectively implement food science-based instruction since there is not a food science curriculum framework adopted in MS. The objective of this study was to assess a food science professional development training for MS CTE teachers that would increase their self-perceived knowledge of food science, self-perceived ability to conduct food science skills, and their self-efficacy to implement food science-based instruction. Thirty-one teachers participated …

Implementation Of Strategic Supports Into Coursework To Improve Notetaking Abilities And Overall Ota Student Success, Cheyenne M. Murphy

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

Notetaking is a widespread practice utilized by students to capture valuable information mentioned throughout lectures, readings, and other supplementary instruction. Practices of notetaking can vary based on educational level and the student’s ability to take notes throughout their educational career. More specifically, the ability to take strategic notes is recognized as an important skill needed in a higher educational setting in relation to a students’ overall success (Salame & Thompson, 2020). When examining the effect of notetaking, earlier studies focused solely on the practice and utilization of notetaking (Rahmani & Sadeghi, 2011). The objective of this culminating project is research …

Controversy In The Early Elementary Classroom: A Case Study Of The 2020 Presidential Election, Zachary W. Stumbo

Doctoral Dissertations

This single case study with embedded units of analysis examines how three early elementary teachers in Kentucky public schools taught the 2020 Presidential Election in grades one, two, and three using Scholastic News resources as instructional tools. The research questions focused on how teachers used the materials and the pedagogical strengths of the instructional resources. The three research participants were purposefully selected as early-career, mid-career, and late-career teacher leaders in grades one, two, and three. Data collected included semi-structured interviews, qualitative data analysis of the Scholastic News instructional materials, multi-level policies, and news reports concerning the election. The analysis focused …

Improving Inclusion: The Ongoing And Transformative Process Of Improving Education Systems To Meet The Needs Of All Students, Robert Mistler

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For this Capstone Project the researcher will investigate how instructors view the environment of the classroom when there is a mix of special needs students incorporated into the general population classroom setting and what they think could be done to improve the environment. The inclusion of special needs is necessary for fair and equal treatment; further, by separating the general population from special needs students, brings about a culture of segregation that can have lifelong impacts. Through an evaluation of scholarly literature and interviews conducted with teachers at an elementary school the findings uncovered three emergent themes: collaboration with teachers …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Professional Development: A Narrative Inquiry Examining Insights From Middle School Teachers, Julie Hatling

Dissertations and Theses

Throughout their careers, teachers seek professional growth opportunities to continually improve their craft. This quest has resulted in various learning experiences for teachers that have impacted their practice in differing ways. Bayar (2014) writes that schools traditionally provide training for teachers, professional development (PD), to help in-service teachers grow as professionals. To gain further insight into the topic of teacher PD, this narrative inquiry sought to obtain a better understanding of PD based on teachers’ perceptions of their past PD experiences and how those experiences impacted their professional practice. This study was guided by a central question and sub-questions. The …

Leadership Influence On Collective Teacher Efficacy In Multi-Cultural Teams: A Mixed-Methods Study, Yaru Zhou

Education Dissertations

As evidence for positive effects of collective teacher efficacy on student performance and teacher well-being grow, increasing efforts have been made worldwide to understand how teachers’ beliefs in the team’s capacity form in schools. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach; 90 teachers from seven international schools in China participated in the survey, and eight teachers from these schools joined focus group interviews. This paper seeks to understand the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of instructional school leadership and collective efficacy, and how individual leaders’ character strength of encouragement and structural factors, including school levels and cultural dimensions, affect the relationship. Quantitative …

Sheltered English Immersion In Massachusetts: Examining The Reflections Of Career And Technical Teachers With Regard To A Mandated “One-Size-Fits-All” Professional Development Model, Rebecca Nault Swasey

All Theses And Dissertations

Educators in Massachusetts have sought to use multiple professional development models to fill the gap of what bilingual programs once provided. A consequence of the 2002 vote indicated that all teachers have the responsibility to teach language to English language learners (ELLs) in Massachusetts. With all this change in federal and state policy, the only modification to the teacher preservice model for career and technical teachers was the addition of one required professional development series on providing sheltered English immersion to ELLs in their vocational-technical programs. However, the current SEI professional development model may not be able to provide for …

¡Sí Se Puede!: Understanding The Experiences Of Latina Students During Their Doctoral Journey At A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Flor Del Rocio Acevedo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The existing body of literature on Latinas has mostly been focused on the undergraduate student experience (Hernandez, 2002; Hurtado et al., 1996; Kena et al., 2016; Tinto & Goodsell, 1994; Torres, 2004). Additionally, despite the increasing participation of women in graduate education since the 1980s (Walker et al., 2008), Latinas have been and continue to be underrepresented in doctoral programs and the professorate (Myers, 2016). In spite of recent increases in enrollment, Latinas attained just 8.8 percent of the doctoral degrees awarded from 2018-2019 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2020). As Latinas are projected to account for a third of …

Rewriting The Graduate Experience: A Study Of The Writing Experiences Of University Of Texas At El Paso Graduate Students Across Disciplines, Jennifer L. Wilhite

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Graduate writing can manifest as a barrier to successful and timely degree completion as writing is the primary modality in which graduate programs use to evaluate depth of learning and quality of knowledge created. Native language status, inexperience with advanced academic genres, time away from the academy, and socialization struggles are factors that can aggravate writing challenges. The purpose of this qualitative study is to better understand the graduate writing experiences of twelve women returning to the academy. The study asks if writing manifests as a barrier to completing their graduate programs, ascertains what kinds of graduate-level writing supports they …

Examining General Education Teacher Perceptions Of Individualized Education Program Accommodations, Riley Johnson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This study examines general education teacher perceptions of IEP accommodations and their suggestions for relevant training to support diverse learner needs. Accommodations have been defined as adaptations or changes to educational environments and practices designed to help students overcome challenges presented by their disabilities. An electronic survey was sent to general education teachers across the four high schools in Cache County School District. The survey included a variety of questions regarding teachers’ perceptions of accommodations and their involvement in the IEP process. The results showed a variety of explanations and expand the knowledge base of various perceptions of this important …

Understanding How Manufacturing Employees Learn About Safety, Melissa I. Bloch-Meier

Theses and Dissertations

While millions of workers are injured on the job every year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019), at least some of these injuries can be attributed to failure to use what was learned during safety training (Safety Partners LTD., 2014). By better understanding workers’ experiences, organizations may be better able to create more impactful safety training programs that will ultimately keep more workers safe. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how manufacturing employees learn about safety. A review of research has shown that empirical studies related to manufacturing employee safety training can be modeled through …

How Do Beliefs Come Into Play? An Examination Of The Influence Of Core Conceptions On Science Teachers’ Inquiry Lesson Plan Designs, Mehmet Fatih Dulger

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Teaching science through inquiry-based methodologies has been advocated by several governmental and professional organizations (National Research Council [NRC], 2000; NGSS Lead States, 2013); however, their use is not widespread. Why is this? What science teachers do in their classrooms is shaped by their beliefs, especially their beliefs about the nature of science, about the goals and purposes of school science and the goals of teaching science, and about the teaching and learning science. By critically examining these core conceptions and their influence on teacher lesson planning, this study aims to shed light on the role conceptions play when teachers design …

Embracing The Role Of Educator: The Experiences Of Housing And Residence Life Staff In Implementing A Curriculum Model, Eric Pernotto

All Dissertations

Since their emergence at universities, student affairs and housing and residence life (HRL) administrators have continuously evolved their role on campus. Foundational documents challenged administrators to engage in student learning to support institutions’ missions and bridge the gap with academic affairs.

The Curriculum Model (CM) provides a framework do this work. The CM extends learning beyond the classroom and formalizes it by developing learning goals and outcomes, educational strategies, facilitation guides, and learning assessment with rubrics. In a CM, practitioners must acknowledge their roles as educators to guide learning.

Implementing a CM is a paradigm shift for staff as they …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Direct-Ink-Writing Of Syntactic Foams, Andrea Irigoyen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This project encompasses three different methods to fabricate syntactic foams using a PDMS matrix i.e., hollow spheres inclusion, pore generator leaching by solvent, and emulsion. The foam formation by using polysiloxane hollow spheres is done in a 3-step process. The first step is to create a core of polystyrene following a dispersion polymerization process. The goal for the size of the pore is to monodisperse and have an average diameter of 5-10 μm, so the polystyrene core must be as well within that range. After that, the cores are coated with a polysiloxane shell by following a polymerization by condensation …

Developing And Validating The Student Assessment-Based Feedback Literacy (Safl) Instrument: A Mixed-Methods Approach, Yiyu Liao

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Feedback has great influences on student retention and completion, especially on the minority students in higher education. However, the debates on the paradoxical difference between feedback’s theoretical potential and its effect in actual practice remain unsettled. This study seeks to address some primary issues in feedback research by conceptualizing student assessment-based feedback literacy (SAFL) and developing the SAFL instrument. The systematic literature reviews in the study identify two trends of assessment-based feedback in higher education: no universal definition of assessment feedback and the lack of explicit understanding of how assessment and feedback literacies interacted. By building on the exiting student …

Improving Toddlers' Transition To A New Classroom: Using Attachment Theory, Yoonju Um

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research sought to answer "What impact does a teacher's insight about transition and attachment theory (Bowlby, 1982) have on a toddler's transition into a new school?" The research was conducted in a Montessori school in Connecticut with 4 teachers, 11 new toddlers, and 11 parents. The researcher intervened with a teacher focus group examining their belief about transition. The data tools included teacher surveys and focus groups, parent checklists, observations on transition behavior, and interactions and program structures section of the infant toddler environment rating scale (ITERS). The findings showed that the intervention enhanced teachers' confidence and positive …

Investigating Cultural Values And Educational Technology Adoption In Central Asia: A Case Study, Randall W. Gwin

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Although the adoption of new tools for communication and learning could reasonably be expected to influence culture, little is known about the relationship between cultural values and the adoption or diffusion of Web 2.0 technologies. This case study examines the way in which the cultural values of 59 teachers in four Central Asian countries influenced and were influenced by Web 2.0 technologies during five to eighteen months of online professional development. Data was collected through self-introductions, Likert-scale and open-ended prompts on initial and final surveys, online forum discussions, and capstone projects. This allows an examination of changes in the participants’ …