Education Commons^™

Impact Of Collaborative Communities On Collective Teacher Effectiveness And Agency, Leila Barber

Dissertations

In an ever-increasing world in which change, and diversity are commonplace, leaders are often faced with the unique challenge of building Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) with unique skill sets. Building collaborative teams of educators is one way building leaders tackle this absolute task. The methods by which leaders construct teams vary widely and at times with limited direction. Teacher teams are then at the mercy of those who they are teamed with, and either reap positive rewards of collaboration, or negative discord. Teacher experiences shape the way PLCs function and how they engage with shared work with their teammates. Throughout …

Growth Mindset Intervention And Its Impact On Productive Struggle In The Eighth-Grade Mathematics Classroom, Jordy Wilson

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

This study aims to seek means to increase student productive struggle while adhering to the strenuous performance demands by our school systems. This study examines connections between growth mindset interventions, attitude towards struggle, and productive struggle in the mathematics classroom. Growth mindset interventions have been shown to change mindsets and to help students become more willing to engage in challenging problems and deal with difficult situations and struggle. Productive struggle is the engagement with difficult problems with the understanding that breakthroughs occur from confusion and struggle and has been linked with students’ conceptual understanding in the mathematics classroom. It has …

Pedagogical Examination Of Alternative Keys With Sel-Strategies (P. E. A. K. S.): An Examination Of Social Emotional Learning Pedagogy, Rezenia Wilson

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Twenty-first century schools are increasingly recognizing the need to nurture students’ social and emotional skills (The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning-CASEL, 2015). There is a developing base of evidence that well-orchestrated, systematically-implemented social and emotional pedagogy can positively affect a wide range of social, emotional, and academic achievement levels (Bar-On, 2006; Bridgeland, Bruce, & Hariharan, 2013; CASEL, 2012; Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011; Elias et al., 1997; Goleman, 1995; Mayer, Salovey, Caruso, & Sitarenious, 2001; Zins, Bloodworth, Weissberg, & Walberg, 2004). Empirical research studies have also shown that systematic, ongoing pedagogical practices to further these initiatives …

Cognitively Guided Instruction In Elementary Mathematics: Understanding Factors That Influence Classroom Implementation, Teresa A. Conowal

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

This study focused on the teaching technique known as cognitively guided instruction (CGI), through which teachers explore the individual learning styles of their students and use the information they gather to teach more complex concepts more effectively. The focus of this study was on 10 elementary mathematics teachers, with the goal of gaining a deeper understanding of the reasons they are making limited use of CGI techniques in their classrooms. The study used interviews and classroom observations of the 10 participants to identify the factors influencing their willingness or reluctance to apply CGI techniques to their instructional practices. The study …

Nursing Students’ Knowledge And Attitudes Toward Care Of The Dying, Betsy N. Ward, Elizabeth Nora Ward

Doctorate of Nursing Science Dissertations

Abstract

Most nursing students fear death or care of the dying and thus question their abilities to give compassionate and competent care to patients or families at end-of-life (EOL). Research has shown positive results when students have experiences with dying patients in environments where interdisciplinary palliative and end-of-life practices are delivered. The purpose of this mixed methods comparative group study was to assess BSN students’ knowledge and attitudes toward care of the dying guided by Bandura’s social cognitive theory, which addresses learning under difficult circumstances. Nursing students in a palliative and end-of-life care elective course were compared to students in …