Education Commons^™

The Impact Of Trauma-Informed Professional Development On Classroom Climate, Amber Lenz

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

When students experience trauma or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the home, such as substance abuse, mental illness, neglect, or violence, schools become an important place in which support, kindness, and understanding are needed the most. School can, for some students, be a place of physical safety and emotional stability. Oftentimes, the weight of what is going on at home or in the community is being miscategorized and is seen as misbehavior or laziness in a student. If teachers do not learn how to deal with the trauma in a supportive and validating way, students will stay distracted and disengaged …

Effective Practices Of Feedback Of Elementary School Administrators During The Post-Observation Conference, Michael Galvin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research identifies two purposes for teacher evaluation: measurement and professional growth; however, the literature provides limited research on the impact of the post-observation conference in teacher evaluation on professional growth (Marzano, 2012). The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study is to examine the perceptions of Indiana public elementary school principals on the impact of the post-observation conference on professional growth of teachers. The study uses an Elementary Administrators’ Background Questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to gather an in-depth understanding of administrators’ perceptions.

Four research questions framed this study as I examined public elementary school administrators’ perceptions of post-observation feedback within the …

Rural Teacher Attitudes And Engagement With Computing And Technology, Melissa P. Mendenhall, Colby Tofel-Grehl, David Feldon

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

The purpose of this sequential Case Study-Mixed Methods research is to explore rural teacher attitudes toward, approaches to, and engagement with making and computational thinking during STEM professional development and co-teaching learning experiences. Specifically, we examine the professional learning needs of two rural, middle school teachers as they engage technology. Using the lens of cultural historical activity theory, this paper examines the ways in which teacher attitude about computing shifted throughout professional learning and instructional practice. Findings show three broad themes that emerge surrounding teacher attitudes, approaches, and engagement with technology: Anxiety, Independent Learner, and Integration. Additionally, findings suggest that …

Cct's Professional Development Bulletin - October 2022, Marie O Neill

Teaching and Learning Bulletins

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of Professional Development On The Literature-Based Chinese Teaching, Gracelynn G. Knapp

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The surge in Chinese language learning as CSL/CFL increases needs for quality teacher professional development training. Although researchers report advantages of employing literature and confirm the value of literature in teaching foreign language, few studies focused on CSL/CFL teacher training, specifically, for the use of literature-based Chinese language teaching for CSL/CFL classes. Professional Development (PD) provided opportunities for Chinese teachers to learn and practice strategies that are necessary to teach CSL/CFL with literature-based teaching. The researcher conducted the PD training evaluation to determine the significant effect on the Chinese teachers’ confidence, attitude, and overall preparedness for teaching literature to non-Chinese …

Fostering The Development Of Instructor Cultural Competence: A Mixed Methods Action Research Study, Jennifer Lilly Engle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to understand the impact purposeful professional development has on the levels of higher education instructors’ cultural competence. The training developed as an intervention for this study included two 75-minute sessions and an independent book study over a five-week period. Fourteen faculty members participated in this mixed methods study. Quantitative data was collected via pretest and posttest scores on the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) and analysis of the statistical significance was performed to gauge the effectiveness of the intervention and its impact on instructors’ cultural competence. Open-ended responses from participants on a three-item …

Exploring The Experiences And Perceptions Of 21st Century Leadership Academy Participants, Scott R. Bartholomew, Douglas Lecorchick, Mark Mahoney, Geoffrey Albert Wright

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

The 21st Century Leadership Academy grew out of an effort by the Council of Technology Teacher Education’s (CTTE) Leadership Development Committee to prepare future leaders for the field of Technology & Engineering Education (TEE). Efforts by Drs. Roger Hill (University of Georgia) and Bill Havice (Clemson University) led to the creation, and subsequent implementation, of this leadership academy with support from CTTE (later renamed the Council on Technology & Engineering Teacher Education [CTETE]) and the International Technology & Engineering Education Association (ITEEA). Initially, participation in the leadership academy was focused on early-career university faculty but recruitment was later expanded to …

Cct Professional Development Bulletin September 2022, Marie O' Neill

Teaching and Learning Bulletins

The CCT Professional Development Bulletin gives an overview of upcoming professional development events including recordings of recent ones.

Supporting Teachers With Project-Based Learning Implementation Through Professional Development, Anna Shamery

Culminating Experience Projects

Project-Based Learning (PBL) has been proven to positively impact motivation, academic achievement, the acquisition of 21st century skills, and classroom community. Though many teachers are enthusiastic about this teaching and learning method, educators struggle with PBL implementation. Both teachers and students have a difficult time adapting to the new roles required in this learner-centered approach. Time constraints and curriculum demands also make PBL implementation challenging. However, high-quality professional development which incorporates adult learning theories can lead to successful PBL use in the classroom. This project outlines a year-long PBL professional development plan designed for K-5 teachers. During a week-long summer …

Cct Professional Development Bulletin August 2022, Marie O' Neill

Teaching and Learning Bulletins

Bulletin contains details of upcoming professional development events and also the recordings of recent events.

Understanding Perceptions Of Professional Development In A Multi-Generational Learning Environment Among High School Teachers, Gina Pagano

Theses & Dissertations

In today’s workforce, individuals are staying in their respective professions longer and retiring at ages past 67, resulting in a generationally diverse workforce. Currently, teachers range from 21-80 years of age, working in the same profession and receiving the same professional development. Considering adult learning and the dynamics associated with individuals, it is important to understand that, historically, the professional development provided to this workforce is facilitated in a one-size-fits-all arrangement (Gregson & Sturko, 2007), instead of using diverse adult learning styles (Malik, 2015). The purpose of this study is to understand individual teachers’ perceptions of the efficacy of professional …

A Blueprint For A Collaborative Learning Organization: Lean Methodology As A Framework For Secondary Teacher Teams, Brandon Willcox

Graduate Teacher Education

Abstract

Teacher teams such as Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), and similar cooperative teams, have been identified as instrumental in improving student outcomes. At the same time, the importance of a collaborative approach to evaluating data and refining practice has been recognized (Graham, 2007; Sigurðardóttir, 2010). Often however, teacher teams do not have the resources available to them to ensure their success. This paper examined current research regarding several internal and external factors that impact the success of teacher teams such as PLCs. A review of the literature suggested that within teams, trust amongst team members is a predominant indicator of …

Experiencing An Old-Growth Forest: An Immersive Nature And Art Workshop For Environmental Educators, Valerie Ozaksut

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Environmental education seeks to develop an engaged and environmentally literate citizenry for a more equitable and sustainable future (NAAEE). Environmental art education is an interdisciplinary field which utilizes environmental education and art education practices. Addressing environmental issues through artmaking can expand learner understandings and emotional connections to the natural world, fostering environmental literacy. Exploring concepts from environmental education and art education, this capstone project uses the sense of wonder (Carson, 1956), the live creature (Dewey, 1934) and aesthetic empathy (Haskell, 2018) as a framework for study. This professional development workshop for environmental educators is designed to introduce environmental art education …

Cct Professional Development Bulletin May 2022, Cct College Dublin

Teaching and Learning Bulletins

Bulletin contains details of upcoming professional development events and also the recordings of recent events.

From Empathy To Social Empathy: A Journey In A Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Workplace Graduate Certificate, Francesca Ferrari, Lisa M. Woodrum

Dissertations

This study aimed to explore and understand the impact of the Graduate Certificate in Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI Graduate Certificate) on master’s and doctoral students’ social empathy (SE) development. The participants in this certificate engaged in several online activities that increased their knowledge of microaggressions, privilege, and unconscious bias while building their social empathy. This certificate provided various tools and skills to its participants so that they might value diversity, look at the world from another’s perspective, and start a dialogue to promote social change. This case study involved 19 participants. To answer our research questions, we used …

Decision-Making For Teacher Professional Development: An Analysis Of Contributing Factors, Jennifer Heckathorn

Dissertations - ALL

This is a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study of teachers' professional development experiences within two Educational Service Agencies in the northeastern part of the United States. It examines how much and what types of professional development teachers receive, and the factors that contribute to school leaders' decisions for offering professional development and teachers' decisions for participating in professional development. The study was based on what the field knows about the characteristics of effective professional development, and the lack of comparison between those traits and what we know about current professional development practices.

The study is composed of multiple phases, which include …

Digital Equity: Difficulties Of Implementing The 1:1 Computing Initiative In Low-Income Areas, Demetric D. Williams

Dissertations

Successful One-to-One Computing Initiative implementation requires educators to communicate and collaborate effectively with everyone in the learning community. However, other factors such as teacher’s professional development, student’s perception, and parent’s perception often affect the implementation of the One-to-One Computing Initiative. School districts, which serve low-income areas in Mississippi, have difficulties ensuring students and communities have access to the information technology they need to participate outside the school setting. The concept is often called digital equity. However, when officials do not address the capacity, there is a vital threat to the participants’ civic, cultural, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential …

A Shared Language: An Examination Of School Interaction Experiences Of Hispanic Ell Students In Northwest Arkansas, Tricia Tice

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

A SHARED LANGUAGE: AN EXAMINATION OF SCHOOL INTERACTION EXPERIENCES OF HISPANIC ELL STUDENTS IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

Tricia Dawn Tice

Arkansas has one of the fastest-growing Latino populations in the country (Garcia Mont, 2015; Brown & Lopez, 2013). The Northwest Arkansas corridor has the largest concentration of Latinos to date due to the area being host to some of the largest companies in the United States (Garcia Mont, 2015; Brown & Lopez, 2013). Hispanic immigration into Arkansas has greatly increased since the late 1980s (Monroe, 1999). As a result of the area growth, public schools have seen tremendous increases in the …

The Predictability Of Faculty Participation In Professional Development Programs Using Demographic, Academic, And Occupational Factors In Higher Education, Dibande Anna Itoe

Dissertations (2016-Present)

The purpose of this study was to determine if there exist any predictive relationships between faculty demographic, academic, and occupational factors, and faculty participation in professional development programs. Despite the established benefits of faculty participating in professional development programs and its corresponding impact on student learning and graduation rates, a critical issue for professional development centers has been how to attract and motivate faculty to participate in these programs (James Jacob et. al., 2019). A correlational research procedure was used as the structural framework for conducting this study, and the population of interest were higher education faculty from two private …

Generating And Sustaining Meaningful Professional Development Opportunities For Graduate Teaching Assistants Facilitating Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences In The Biological Sciences, Amie M. Kern

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Current national efforts to reform postsecondary laboratory education have emphasized the incorporation of authentic research opportunities into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curricula. Within the last decade, course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have emerged as a viable mechanism to achieve this goal. Evidence within the biology education literature suggests that student engagement in CUREs has the potential to positively impact their development of scientific inquiry and process skills, content knowledge, and affect in the domain. While the majority of studies have focused on student outcomes, few studies have examined instructor outcomes in CURE learning environments. This is especially true …

Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences Professional Development Opportunities And Their Impact On Perceptions Of Career Preparedness, Jessica L. Wesson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A student’s undergraduate education is an imperative part of developing career skills that will prepare them to transition from academia to the professional world. Experience outside of the classroom and course material taught in a formal class experience are both important. Their experiences and classes, in college, allow them to develop skills and increase their chances of being successful in the workplace (Suvedi et al., 2016).

Chickering’s Seven Vectors of Student Development were used to help explain the process of student development. A quantitative survey was sent to DBCALFS faculty, staff, and administrators, and a different quantitative survey was sent …

The Impact Of Professional Development On Trauma-Informed Practices (Tips) In A Teacher's Feeling Of Self-Efficacy, Christina Kay Cumbest

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental, static-group comparison design study was to determine the increase or decrease of self-efficacy for elementary and secondary teachers regarding instructional strategies, student engagement, and classroom management after professional development in TIPs. TIPs in the school setting provide comprehensive interventions to address childhood trauma that could promote positive academic progress. There has been little research provided on the impact of TIPs regarding instructional strategies, student engagement, and classroom management as it relates to teacher-efficacy. The results of this study found significant differences in survey responses from teachers in two school districts. The Teachers’ Sense of …

Online Education Experiences Among Teachers Within Technical College System Of Georgia Institutions: A Multiple Case Study, John Robert Edalgo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to explore technical education teachers’ perceptions on the use of e-learning within the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) institutions. This central research question provides the lens needed to explore forces that promote or discourage the use of online instruction administered by teachers. The theory guiding this study was the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory, developed by E.M. Rogers approximately 60 years ago. The DOI theory provides the theoretical framework needed to assess the adopter, the innovation, and the type of communication (evaluation) needed to facilitate sustained adoption in the future. Increased adoption …

The Challenges And Rewards Of Co-Chairing A Department: Lessons Learned From Leaders In The Middle, Laura Trujillo-Jenks, Gina Anderson

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Newly appointed Department Chairs are often on their own to learn “on the job” the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed. One way to mitigate the challenges of this high-stakes approach is to identify a second leader who can serve in the role of mentor, coach or Co-Chair alongside the new Chair. The Co-Chair may be a leader who has served as a Department Chair in the past and/or who is serving in another middle-management position such as a Chair from a different department, Director, or Associate Dean. During a time of tremendous change and uncertainty, the Co-Chair …

Cct Professional Development Bulletin April 2022, Cct College Dublin

Teaching and Learning Bulletins

No abstract provided.

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Teachers In Addressing The Social And Emotional Learning Needs Of Students, Justin Allen Whittenbarger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of teachers related to social and emotional learning (SEL) in a rural public school district in Tennessee. This study examined individual, explicit experiences of educators related to addressing the SEL needs of students. Bandura’s social cognitive theory primarily guided this study as it relates closely to the behavioral, personal, and environmental factors that all play a role in the way a teacher responds to professional learning. The data collection involved a qualifying survey, a questionnaire, interviews with participants (novice teachers and veteran teachers), and a focus group. Data …

The Relationship Of Self-Efficacy And Professional Development On The Job Satisfaction Of Pre-Kindergarten Teachers, Amanda Mulledy Stevens

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Retaining high quality teachers continues to be a priority of school districts across the country, especially with a continued increase in the number of teachers leaving the profession. Understanding why teachers are leaving and how districts might provide support to stem this exodus is an ongoing question for educational leaders. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine if self-efficacy and professional development could predict the job satisfaction of pre-kindergarten teachers in West Virginia. The survey was given to pre-kindergarten teachers in multiple school districts who were selected through convenience sampling from West Virginia during the 2020-2021 school …

The Role Of A School Principal's Practice Of Resource Allocation And Its Relationship With A School’S Culture Of Collaboration, Annette Perez

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This article presents the findings that investigated the relationship between a principal's practice in resource allocation and how it promotes a school’s collaborative culture.

Participants of the study were New York City (NYC) Department of Education (DOE) school principals who scored a four or above on the NYC Survey School Measures of “Effective School Leadership.” The independent variable was principal practice defined as resource allocation. The dependent variable, collaborative school culture, was defined as scoring 90% or above on the “Collaborative Teachers” measure of the NYC School Survey. The study was guided by the question: What is the relationship between …

Librarians As Mentors: A Student-Centered Approach To Graduate Training, Scott Libson, Chella Vaidyanathan, Erica Bruchko

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

A review of library science journals reveals a dearth of literature on the topic of professional mentorship services offered by academic librarians for graduate students in the humanities and social sciences. The literature that does exist tends to focus on library and information science or other professionally-oriented programs. Mentorship is crucial for the professional success of all categories of graduate students; yet, by focusing on one of these groups, we fail to recognize the shared challenges and unique needs of students across the spectrum of graduate education.

Academic librarians can play a critical role in helping all graduate students chart …

Incorporating Social Justice And Equity As Themes In Math Circles Online, Matthew Jones, Sharon Lanaghan, Carolyn Yarnall

Journal of Math Circles

The CSUDH Math Teachers' Circle chose a focus on equity and social justice in 2020. The national focus on social justice caused us to reflect on what we can do to affect change regarding issues of equity and social justice in our society. In addition, the global pandemic caused us to shift our circle online, which presented both obstacles and opportunities. In this paper, we expand upon how we addressed various challenges faced in facilitating an online Math Teachers’ Circle, focusing on our experience facilitating sessions focused on equity and social justice and participants' reactions to this experience.