Education Commons^™

An Administrative Model For Professional Development Centers In The Reform Of Teacher Education, Norma J. Morrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem of this study was to identify a validated model of professional development centers (PDCs) for teacher education that could be applied collaboratively by administrators in higher education and the local school systems. A thorough investigation failed to reveal a model. Therefore, a professional development center model was synthesized from the literature, attributes of existing centers, and ideas of East Tennessee educators who were in positions to implement such a model. The examination of centers incorporated both quantitative and qualitative research methodology. The quantitative investigation was a combination of inductive and deductive analysis of responses to a survey form …

An Investigation Of Elementary Teachers' Self-Perception Of Burnout While Participating In A Professional Development Change Process, Lana L. Callihan

Dissertations

Teachers are experiencing pressures from the demands of educational change required in their profession. The quality of education is reflected by the competency of the teacher. The research suggests that efforts should be directed toward identifying a process for change that will reduce the feelings of burnout which block the energy and enthusiasm needed for change.

This study investigated the question, "Does involvement in a professional development process modify a teacher's perceived feelings of burnout?" The professional development models studied were the Collaborative Curriculum and Professional Development Process (CCPDP), Instructional Theory Into Practice (ITIP), and the Michigan School Improvement Process …

Effects Of Cooperative Games On The Prosocial Behavior Interactions Of Young Children With And Without Impairments, Steven Grineski

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which cooperative games promote prosocial behavior interactions of young children with and without impairments and can be used for successful integration. Specific outcomes include: (a) a cooperative games model which can be used as a framework for selecting, modifying, or creating games that promote prosocial behavior; (b) a games curriculum designed to promote affective, psychomotor, and cognitive behaviors; and (c) a proposal of ways a cooperative games curriculum can facilitate social integration of children with and without impairments.

Sixteen children from the Moorhead State University Preschool between the ages …

A Comparison Of Career Ladder Iii And Career Ladder I Elementary Principals' Leader Behavior And Organizational Climate, Eugene H. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The perceptions of elementary teachers with regard to the leadership behavior exhibited by their principals and to the organizational climate of their schools were examined in this study. The purpose of the study was to determine whether Tennessee elementary principals who achieved Career Ladder III standing exhibited more effective leadership behaviors and maintained a more suitable organizational climates than Career Ladder I principals. This study followed the ex-post facto research approach and utilized data obtained through use of the Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire Form 12 (LBDQ-12) and the Revised Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (OCDQ-RE). Responses were obtained from 590 teachers …

A Staff Development Program For Paraprofessionals, Marjorie Brickley

Graduate Student Independent Studies

A description of the process of designing a staff development program for paraprofessionals working with children birth - 3 years of age. The thesis highlights special issues that infant/toddler programs face. The staff development process includes an assessment of the caregiver's skills, setting goals for the improvement of the program, a description of the 2 day training that was held, and an evaluation of the changes that resulted from the staff development experience.

An Exploratory Study Of Research Utilization By Virginia Nurse Educators, Evelyn M. Clingerman

Nursing Theses & Dissertations

The purposes of this study were: to explore research utilization by three groups of Virginia nursing educators; and to determine if differences in stages of diffusion existed between nurse educators working in hospital diploma, associate degree and baccalaureate degree settings within the Commonwealth of Virginia. A stratified random sample included 28 hospital diploma, 41 associate degree and 37 baccalaureate degree nurse educators from the Commonwealth of Virginia, who completed the Nurse Educator Questionnaire (NEQ). Two free-response questions were used to identify factors which the nurse educators perceived as inhibitors and facilitators to research utilization. The results of a two-step mailed …

A Handbook For Orientation Of First Year Teachers In The Walla Walla School District, Robert C. Maib

All Graduate Projects

The transition from student teacher to becoming a professional teacher can be a very trying experience. Research, interviews and studies were done to point out problems beginning teachers have in their first year of employment. Due to these problems, beginning teachers need to know where to go for help. Administrators, secretarial services and custodial services can be very beneficial to aid the beginning teacher in the first year of employment. The aim of this project is to create a handbook for beginning teachers in the Walla Walla School District with the research discussed.

Evaluation Of The Utilization Of The Home Economics Base Curriculum In The West Virginia Middle School, Lana J. Hardy

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The junior high school was created in the early 1900's from the eight year elementary or grammar school and a four year high school. At that time administrators and teachers believed that the needs of the middle year students were being overlooked (Jackson, 1986). The current concept of middle schools began developing in the late 1950's and was being implemented in 1963 (Kindred, Wolotkiewicz, Mickelson, & Coplein, 1981). This reorganization of the middle/junior high school started in West Virginia in the late 1970's. Home economics educators in the state wanted to provide input into the content of these new programs, …

Staff Development And The Process Of Teacher Change: A Case Study, Christene Kay Jones

Dissertations and Theses

This case study documented a staff development program which was the major component of a public school/university partnership between Portland State University and the Lake Oswego School District, a suburb of Portland, Oregon. A select group of 34 Lake Oswego teachers and 4 administrators participated in the Joint Ventures in Instructional Leadership Program which included classes in learning and instructional theory, techniques of peer sharing, instructional strategies and models of teaching, and approaches to the teaching of higher order thinking skills. The program included 7 full days and 4 evenings of instructional training which occurred throughout the 1986-87 school year. …

Teacher Perceptions Of Evaluation As An Agent For Teacher Growth And Improvement Of Instruction, Beverly Ann Hobson

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to measure the perceptions of teachers regarding their most recent evaluation experience and to determine whether teachers perceive any significant relationships between attributes of teacher evaluation and its quality and impact on teacher growth. The study also considered whether there are significant differences between elementary and secondary teachers, as well as between classroom and nonclassroom teachers, in their perceptions of evaluation.

The suburban school district in this study serves approximately 22,000 students. The subjects included 402 elementary and secondary teachers who were randomly selected from 1,081 permanent teachers.

The Teacher Evaluation Profile (TEP) instrument …

The Master Of Science In Education Degree In The Field Of Elementary Education At Eastern Illinois University: A Status Study, Susan E. Horath

Masters Theses

This study was designed to obtain a descriptive profile of teachers who were recipients of a Master of Science in Education degree in the field of Elementary Education at Eastern Illinois University. Specific background and attitudinal information was gathered from questionnaire responses.

The Master's Program Evaluation Instrument (MPE) was developed as the means of obtaining information on teachers’: perceptions of specific aspects of their master's program; plans for professional development; and satisfaction with the teaching profession. Questions written on the MPE instrument were carefully selected through a review of related literature and were validated through jury review. The instrument was …

An Analysis Of The Impacts Of The Illinois Board Of Higher Education' S Admission Requirements On Selected High Schools In East Central Illinois, Stephen C. Selle

Masters Theses

The Illinois Board of Higher Education in 1985 instituted mandatory subject admission requirements for all state universities beginning in the year 1990. Subsequent legislative action by the Illinois General Assembly has moved these requirements back to 1993. This field experience investigated the possible impacts of these requirements on rural schools of under 500 students in east central Illinois. A cover letter explaining the purpose of the study and a two page questionnaire were mailed to twenty- one schools. Sixteen schools in the counties of Vermillion, Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee, and Will responded and were the focus of the study. Enrollment patterns …

The Effect Of Extrinsic Rewards On Intrinsic Motivation In Preschool Children, Rebecca L. Di Santo

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of A Model Inservice Program On The Components Of Comprehensive School Health Education, Susan J. Koch

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Inservice education has been utilized for both professional growth and school improvement in all educational disciplines for more than a century. As the focus of school health education has extended to include the concept of the wellness lifestyle and health promotion, school health educators have employed inservice education as a vehicle for improving the three components of comprehensive school health education: curriculum and instruction, school health services, and the healthful school environment.

One response to the need for professional training of school employees in wellness has been the Seaside inservice model. Initiated in Oregon in 1977, the model is based …

An Analysis Of Selected Initial Phase Iii Plans Developed From Iowa's Educational Excellence Program H.F. 499, Randall B. Clegg

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Phase III of Iowa's Educational Excellence Program has provided Iowa school districts with the unique opportunity to improve and enhance the quality and effectiveness of Iowa teachers through the development of performance-based and supplemental pay plans. With 50 million dollars in state funding Iowa school districts were in a unique position to develop and implement their own prescription for achieving educational excellence.

The purpose of this study was to conduct an analysis of initial performance-based supplemental pay plans developed by Iowa school districts. As a result of the analysis this study described the reform efforts initiated by local school districts …