Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

Designing Three-Dimensional Implementation Of Ngss To Support Science Education, Melissa M. Delaurentis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Next Generation Science Standards transitions science instruction to a strategic focus on students’ application of science content through sensemaking to deepen their understanding of naturally occurring phenomena. As an innovative educational initiative, NGSS requires a vast shift in how all stakeholders approach scientific learning in public education. New Mexico formally adopted NGSS in 2017 and promptly expected full implementation. The problem explored in this study is the perceptions of principals, instructional coordinators, and science educators on the implementation of NGSS, based on New Mexico’s abridged timeline, inadequate funding, and limited professional learning. The study used a qualitative exploratory case …

Perspectives On The Study Circles Program For Increasing Parental Involvement, Eugenia Sophia Dawson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Administrators were concerned over a lack of minority parental involvement and challenges in meeting the needs of a rapidly growing minority student population in a local school district. To enhance minority parental involvement, one local middle school implemented the Study Circles program that involved a series of interactive small group sessions in which parents and educators collaborate to build a culturally sensitive, inclusive community. The problem addressed in this study was grounded in the fact that the adequacy of this program’s implementation to address the low minority parental involvement at the school was not fully understood. Guided by Epstein’s model …

Elementary Administrators’ Perceptions Of Support For Novice Alternatively-Certified Teachers In High-Poverty Schools, Kelle Wilson Lofton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Novice alternatively-certified teachers are hired to teach in high-poverty schools at a higher rate than traditionally-certified peers. These teachers are often unprepared to teach in challenging environments and struggle to manage their classrooms and achieve student academic success. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative case study was to investigate elementary school administrators’ perceptions of support for novice alternatively-certified teachers in high-poverty schools in a southern U.S. state. Burns’s transformational leadership paradigm informed the study. The research questions focused on how elementary principals and assistant principals perceived transformational practices to support novice alternatively-certified teachers in high-poverty schools. Data were collected using …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Implementing The Collaborative Problem-Solving Model, Jeremy Derrel Sager

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some children display challenging behaviors because they do not have the skills to manage their behaviors appropriately. The collaborative problem-solving (CPS) model was implemented at a local middle school in Tennessee to provide students with social-emotional learning and support (SELS) as a means for promoting students’ self-directed behavior management skills. The problem was that despite the implementation of the CPS model prior to the intervention of administrator support/disciplinary action, the out-of-school suspension (OSS) rate increased since 2016. Guided by Greene’s CPS model, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions of the implementation of the CPS …

Academic Agenda, Goal Setting, And African American Male Student Persistence At A Predominantly Black Institution, Hamilton Jb Raymond

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low African American male student graduation rates in the United States have been a concern for higher education administrators, and more strategies to address their challenges are needed. This basic qualitative study addressed the experiences of African American male students who persisted to graduation at a predominantly Black institution in the northeastern United States. The institutional departure model and goal setting theory formed the conceptual framework for the study. Nine African American males who graduated from the institution described their experiences with academic goal setting and a graduation agenda, through one-on-one interviews. Key findings included the challenges of financial concerns, …

Exploring 4-Year Business School Curriculum’S Relation To Graduates’ Hiring And Earnings, Richard A. Gayle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2013, roughly 7% of college graduates under 25 could not find employment, and about 37% were underemployed. Public university tuition costs increased by 42% between 1999 and 2012, and 71% of college graduates have an average of $29,400 in outstanding student debt. Employers for several decades have complained about how higher educational institutions have failed to deliver graduates with developed nontechnical skills comprising (a) work ethic, (b) communication, (c) organization, (d) problem solving, and (e) teamwork. The purpose of this qualitative archival study was to assess and explore integrating the nontechnical skills that businesses require to hire graduates immediately …

Play Lu Interactive Technology And Standardized Mathematics Scores, Oguz Yildiz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Technology-based learning tools provide new opportunities to engage students in learning academic content. This study focuses on one such tool, Play Lu Interactive Technology (PLIT), and analyzes how students’ math achievement on standardized test scores differs between students who have used PLIT and students who have not. PLIT is designed to improve students’ communication and teamwork skills in addition to math skills. The data were collected from seventh-grade students at a public school in the state of New York that used PLIT to support students’ academic achievement in math. Due to scheduling limitations, only half of the seventh-grade students used …

Urban School District Principals’ Perceptions Of Job Satisfaction, Darcy Lynn Woodcock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Principals in urban school districts directly and indirectly affect school communitiesthrough student achievement, teacher retention, and school climate. When a high-quality school principal leaves a school, it can negatively affect these areas due to the interruption of progress toward school improvement goals to increase student achievement. Seeking to address this issue, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the perceptions of job satisfaction among urban school district principals. The conceptual framework was Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory. The key research question concerned investigating the perceptions of job satisfaction among urban school district principals. Qualitative data were collected via virtual, …

Exploring The Strategies English As A Second Language Teachers Use To Teach Students, Unika Lasha Felton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIn the local school district under study located in southern United States, English as second language (ESL) students are experiencing lower than expected standardized testing scores according to expectations set forth by the state Department of Education. The purpose of this project study was to explore the strategies ESL teachers use to teach ESL students. The conceptual framework was Gagne’s conditions of learning theory, which is used to assess students’ lack of preparation for future academic and career success. The research question asked what strategies ESL teachers use to teach ESL students. A qualitative exploratory case study with purposive sampling …

Teacher Perceptions About Instructional Delivery For Chinese International Students, Valerie Lorraine Marchione

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that prompted this study was that teachers at a local private school werestruggling to identify and implement appropriate instructional strategies to promote international student academic and social engagement. The purpose of this study was to examine teacher perceptions and experiences about instructing international students. The conceptual framework of this study was based on Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism. The research questions explored teachers’ perceptions about their knowledge, experiences, and perceptions of students’ school acculturation and teachers’ instructional processes. A case study design was used to capture the insights of 12 high school teachers of international students through semistructured …

General Education And Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of Co-Teaching In High Schools, Julia Pitts

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractGeneral Education and Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Co-Teaching in High Schools by Julia A. Pitts

Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education

Walden University March 2021 Abstract Students with special needs are being integrated into general education classrooms. To accommodate these students, schools are using an instructional delivery method with two teachers, one general education and one special education in the same classroom. The goal of this qualitative study was to understand perceptions of general and special education teachers who were assigned to work in co-taught classrooms. The concept that …

Faculty, Clinical Supervisors, And Teacher Candidate Perceptions And Experiences Of Teacher Candidate Feedback, Timothy John Martin Calver

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem at a West Coast university was that the university’s teacher education program lead faculty and teacher candidates stated they were concerned about the quality of feedback provided to teacher candidates who are assessed by clinical supervisors during their field-based experiences. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the perceptions and experiences of teacher candidates, clinical supervisors, and teacher education department (TED) faculty regarding the feedback process. The conceptual framework used for this study was Argyris’ theory of single-loop and double-loop learning to support the research question. The research question was focused on perceptions about the feedback …

School Leaders’ Perspectives Of The Uva Model For Instructional Leadership Competency, Shelley Anne Halverson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research shows supportive partnerships between school districts and universities can enhance school district performance. Such a relationship was used to address the problem of lacking quality instructional leadership capacity of school leaders placed in target turnaround school settings to improve teacher efficacy and student achievement. The purpose of this study was to create deep understanding of the perceptions of target turnaround school leaders that participated in the target district’s partnership with the University of Virginia Partnership for Leadership in Education (UVA-PLE), to improve their instructional leadership competency. Guided by a leadership competency framework developed by McClelland and applied by UVA-PLE, …

Administrators’ And Teachers’ Perceptions Of Professional Learning Communities As Replacements For Traditional Professional Development, Antwonette Woodlon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professional learning communities (PLCs) positively influence students’ and teachers’ success. Yet, traditional professional development, involving passive learning, is still widely used. The problem addressed in this qualitative case study is little is known about administrators’ perceptions about PLCs as replacements for traditional forms of professional development (PD). Administrators’ and teachers’ perceptions of PLCs should be explored to learn more about why PLCs are underutilized in schools, despite their proven effectiveness. The primary conceptual framework used for this study was Knowles’ adult learning theory supported by Contextual learning theory. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit eight participants – four administrators and …

Understanding Principals' Perceptions Of Leadership For Implementation Of Social-Emotional Learning (Sel) Programs, Margaret Akinnusi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School principals' leadership strategies and collaborative efforts contribute immensely to defining and managing goals in response to any educational initiatives, including social-emotional learning (SEL) programs. The problem prompting this study was the disproportionate special education referral and school suspension of minority students. Although the focus school district adopted an SEL curriculum and tasked principals with implementation to reduce disproportionality, these disparities continue to persist. This qualitative descriptive study explored 10 principals' leadership strategies and implementation challenges regarding SEL program implementation to close the disparity of special education identification and the suspension and expulsion of minority students at an urban school …

Elementary Principals’ Behaviors And Actions For Retaining Teachers, Sharonda Gregory

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractPrincipal support is critical in promoting teacher retention, which has continued to be a challenge in elementary schools in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to ascertain how principals described their strategies for retaining teachers at elementary schools in a large, urban-suburban school district in the Eastern United States. The conceptual framework was based on Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory and transformational leadership theory. The research questions addressed challenges, supports, and leadership practices principals identified that increased teacher retention in the elementary school setting. Semistructured interviews were conducted with eight elementary school principals who had at least …

Employee Perceptions Of Collaborative Communication Skills Learned In The Informal Workplace, Wendy Marie Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Collaborative communication skills are underdeveloped through higher education experiences; therefore, employees need to develop these skills while working. Current research has not focused on how employees identify collaborative communication skills developed from informal workplace learning experiences, specifically those presented as coaching, mentoring, and networking. Marsick and Watkins’s informal workplace learning theory was the conceptual framework for this basic qualitative study, which used a researcher-produced interview protocol with eight United States employees who had been in their positions longer than 6 months. Data were analyzed using three rounds of hand coding. Participants described how informal coaching, mentoring, and networking encounters influenced …

Understanding Teachers' Choice For Implementing The Flipped Classroom Model, Daphney Phillip

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The flipped classroom model has been proven to impact students' learning positively, but many educators are reluctant to implement the flipped learning model in their classrooms. There are few studies addressing educators' choice to implement the flipped classroom model at the middle school level. This qualitative study aimed to explore teachers’ choices for implementing the flipped learning model, to provide evidence-based practices and recommendations for the creation of a support system, and to help create a support system to assist teachers to use the flipped learning model successfully. The study centered on two questions regarding how teachers described their choices …

General And Special Educators’ Perceptions Of Transition For Students With Disabilities, Doris Louise Rouson Butler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with disabilities (SWDs) require a transition process to support high school graduation and continuation to higher education or the workforce. In a rural district in a southern state, the problem investigated was only 37% of SWDs were graduating from high schools in the target district, compared to 79.9% of students without disabilities, which suggested that the transition design and implementation did not support SWDs’ needs. Using a transition-focused conceptual framework, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand the perceptions of educators regarding the design and implementation of the transition process for SWDs at the high schools …

The Academic And Nonacademic Perceived Barriers And Resources Of Latinx First Generation Students At A Community College, Jessica Caridad Rivera

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since the 1970s, the college enrollment of Latinx first generation students (FGS) has increased nationally and within the research site. In this vein, the purpose of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding regarding the actual academic and nonacademic experiences that prevent Latinx FGS from graduating community college. This qualitative study was framed by Ladson-Billings and Tate’s theory of critical race in education to explore what Latinx FGS identify as barriers in graduating from a community college while providing feedback on how college leadership can support them in graduating. By using a phenomenological tradition, participants used storytelling to define …