Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons^™

A Study Of K-5 Teacher Perceptions Of Home Visits On Attitude, Belief, And Behavior, Dene E. Gainey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the qualitative descriptive study was to explore teacher perceptions of attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs as it pertained to home visits. The body of research available prior to the study focused on parent appreciation and takeaways from home visit experiences and/or students’ achievement as it pertained to having experienced a teacher coming into their home environments. Specifically, the researcher wanted to understand how K-5 teachers perceived their attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs prior to conducting home visits, during home visits and after the home visits were completed.

Through semi-structured interviews, participants were asked a series of questions that were …

Surviving Pandemic Practicum: Early Career Music Teachers' Perceived Self-Efficacy Following The Covid-19 Pandemic, Aubree Pacifico Windish

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This qualitative study examines early career music teachers’ perceived self-efficacy following teacher practicum during a global pandemic. I conducted focus group conversations with undergraduate music education alum (N=16) from Southeastern State University (SSU) at the end of 2023. Participants described the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their music teacher practicum and overall experiential learning at SSU. The focus group questions, and subsequent deductive coding of their answers, aligned with the four roles of Bandura’s (1977) Self-Efficacy Theory. Participants reported low perceived self-efficacy in their first year of in-service teaching, with variations based on the stages of the COVID-19 pandemic …

We Need To Understand It Before We Can Teach It: A Cooperative Inquiry Into Mindfulness-Based Social-Emotional Learning With International School Teachers, Kailyn Fullerton

Doctor of Education

This dissertation describes the experience of a group of international school teachers engaging in a cooperative inquiry exploring the influence of mindfulness-based social-emotional learning (MBSEL) practices on their personal and professional lives. The current reality for educators is one of systemic stress and burnout, with teachers working under increasing pressure, and communities still reeling from the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In international school settings, many expatriate educators are living far away from their country of birth and searching for belonging and community. MBSEL practices have been demonstrated to support wellbeing, however adult learning of these skills is often …

Unlocking Understanding About Giftedness, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

The goal of undergraduate teacher preparation programs is to prepare future teachers to work with all learners. Gifted and talented learners are likely found in every classroom regardless of where they reside, however, according to Rinn et al. (2022), Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Nebraska do not require undergraduate teacher candidates to take university coursework on gifted education. The goal of this presentation is to provide a general overview of gifted education specific to Kansas. This presentation aims to address myths and misconceptions about gifted education and gifted learners, characteristics of gifted learners, a basic overview of a general identification …

The Apprenticeship Of Observation In Gifted Education, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

The ‘Apprenticeship of Observation’ is described as one’s perception of ‘good teaching’ as informed by our own experiences as a student observing teaching for thirteen years in a K-12 school system. Perception of gifted education is susceptible of the ‘apprenticeship of observation’ and often influencing teachers’ actions and beliefs about the needs of gifted learners.

Supporting New Colleagues In Gifted Education: Finding Your Starting Point, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

Newly hired teachers and administrators often lack experience with gifted learners. The goal of this essay is to share four books to act as primers to introduce new teachers and administrators to gifted education and understanding gifted learners.

Higher Order Thinking ‘On The Go’, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

Educators of gifted learners often teach in non-traditional spaces and need to be adaptable. This essay shared five cognitive models that support higher order thinking which can be implemented anywhere and with few materials.

Dueling Abilities, Behaviors, And Characteristics Of Gifted Learners, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

Using the Star Wars’ characters, R2-D2 and C-3PO as analogies, educators can better conceptualize the diverse ability, behaviors, and characteristics of gifted learners. Gifted learners do not fit a single profile and this essay aims to help challenge stereotypes teachers may have of gifted learners and highlight the diverse cognitive, social, and emotional needs gifted learners may have.

Catching Up To Yesterday: An Argument For A Practical Application Of Creativity For Inspiring Change From A Content-Based Course Delivery To A 21st-Century Skills-Based Delivery, Darren Chapman

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project is a creative vision for how college-level courses could be changed to deliver the most important skills students need in the 21st century—moving toward an essential employability skills-based delivery process while training vocational (content) skills. Technology is outpacing humans' ability to adapt and adopt to it, making it increasingly difficult to keep pace with technological change. This has wide-ranging effects on each of us – productively, emotionally, and perhaps physically. Colleges are at the forefront of educating citizens about the working world to improve their productivity, incomes and their sense of intrinsic motivation. However, these same colleges are …

Addressing The Target Outcomes, Functional Objectives And Functional Skills Of Aspiring Aviators In Individualized Education Plans And Section 504 Plans, Gary C. Booker

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has very specific requirements for individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) that center around the executive function abilities of individuals without the aid of ADHD medications, which are forbidden for use by the FAA. These abilities are evaluated by the FAA's medical examination process, which involve a background investigation into a person's history. K-12 Administrators and educators can assist young aspiring pilots with ADHD by placing aviation-specific functional educational goals in their Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) and Section 504 Plans.

Exploring Cooperative Learning In High School Remedial And Test Preparation Classes, Carol Solomon-Jenkins

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores how utilizing cooperative learning in remedial and test preparation in high school classes affects students’ reading comprehension on traditional standardized test scores. Theoretically, my dissertation work draws upon several bodies of literature, such as constructivism including cognitive and social constructivism in relation to cooperative learning (e.g., Dewey, 1897, 1902/1932, 1910; Piaget, 1967; Vygotsky, 1978), culturally responsive/relevant/sustaining pedagogy (e.g., Gay, 2000/2010/2018; González, Moll, & Amanti, 2005; Ladson-Billings, 1994/2009; Ladson-Billings, 2021; Paris & Alim, 2017), and caring and empathy (Noddings, 1984, 1992, 2002; Katz, Noddings, & Strike, 1999; Merriam, 1991; Stake, 1995, 2005) in relation to social justice education. …

Exploring Perceptions Of Advanced Coursework Enrollment Practices: A Multiple Case Study, Tomika Ferguson, David B. Naff, Jenna Lenhardt, Amy E. Jefferson, Isaiah Moore, Andrea Herndon, Richard Ashburn, Jessica Harris, Jenna Conlee, Courtney Forstmann

MERC Publications

This report from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium highlights findings from a multiple case study exploring enrollment practices related to advanced coursework matriculation in a suburban middle school and rural high school. In connection with the MERC Equitable Access and Support for Advanced Coursework study, this multiple case study included perspectives from students, parents, and educators as they reflected on the factors that support and inhibit access for advanced courses in their schools.

Equipping Middle School Teachers With Culturally Responsive Pedagogy In Teaching Computer Science Through Professional Learning: A Longitudinal Case Study, Xintong Bausch

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) is an effective way to foster equitable and meaningful computer science (CS) learning experience for historically marginalized students. This dissertation study employed longitudinal data to investigate five middle school teachers’ development of CRP understandings and enactments over many years participating in the CS Pathways Research Practitioner Partnership (RPP) project. Grounded in conceptual change theory (knowledge-in-pieces perspective), the study explored the five teachers’ CRP conceptual change trajectories as indicated by their definitions and enactments of the pedagogy over time. From the epistemological perspective, the findings presented how teachers reflected, refined, and revised their naïve knowledge of CRP …

From The Invisible Man To Cozy Closets: Gender Diverse Student Narratives In Ontario Catholic Schools, Yvonne Runstedler

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In the province of Ontario, Catholic schools have public funding from the Ministry of Education and ecclesial oversight from the local Catholic diocese. Transgender students who attend these schools experience both governmental spaces and religious ones. The inherent secular and theological tensions responsive to Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender, intersex, Asexual, and other queer-identities [2SLGBTQIA+] students are the overarching contexts of this study. While many Catholic school boards have completed publicly-facing acts of inclusion for 2SLGBTQIA+ students, such as raising the Pride Flag in June in recent years, there is a scarcity of literature responsive to how transgender students make …

A Digital Qualitative Ethnographic Study Of Preservice Teachers’ Perspectives And Experiences Of Teaching From To-Be Teachers, Mohamed Abdullahi Ali

Journal of Research Initiatives

This digital ethnographic study aimed to understand how and why college students decide to be teachers while many trained teachers leave the profession every year in the United States. A purposive sampling technique enabled 30 prospective teachers in a college of education to participate in this study. The research questions that guided the study were: 1) How and why did preservice teachers choose teaching as a career? 2) How did preservice teachers' perception of the drawbacks of teaching and the opportunities to support them in becoming teachers influence their decisions? The conceptual framework to understand the phenomena came from educational …

The Impact Of Teacher Preparedness And Professional Development On Fourth-Grade Students' Science Achievement, Craig L. Mayo, Faye Bradley

Journal of Research Initiatives

Science scores among US fourth-grade students have declined compared to their international counterparts in recent years. Recent results show that teachers are the most impactful influence on student success and accountability. Teacher preparedness and professional development are two key areas that serve as indicators of providing relevant and essential information for students' success. A correlational quantitative study was conducted to assess the relationship between teacher preparedness and professional development on fourth-grade students’ science achievement. The TIMSS 2019 data were secured from the Boston College, TIMSS, and PIRLS International websites. The data was evaluated using the SPSS 27 Hierarchical Linear Regression. …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Cheating In Online Classes And Technostress: Perceptions Of Business Faculty, Stacy Boyer-Davis, Kevin Berry, Amy Cooper

International Journal for Business Education

This research study investigated the relationship between technostress creators (techno-complexity, techno-insecurity, techno-invasion, techno-overload, and techno-uncertainty) and faculty perceptions of student cheating in online classes. Data were collected from faculty members of the Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society (MOBTS), a member of the AACSB Business Education Alliance, the American Society of Business and Behavioral Sciences (ASBBS), an interdisciplinary professional organization comprised of faculty teaching in accounting, finance, management, marketing, organizational behavior, and computer information systems, and other research panels during 2021 (N = 94). Findings from regression analysis indicated that the techno-complexity subconstruct is positively related to a faculty’s perception …

6 Strategies To Increase Your Classroom And School’S Culture And Climate, Stacey Keown-Murray, Rob Carroll, Kristi Livingston

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Creating a positive culture and climate in the classroom and school environment is crucial for fostering student engagement, well-being, and academic success. This article presents six effective strategies that educators can implement to enhance the culture and climate within their classrooms and schools. The strategies focus on promoting a sense of belonging, establishing clear expectations, fostering positive relationships, celebrating diversity, empowering student voice, and encouraging collaboration and teamwork. By implementing these strategies, educators can cultivate a supportive and inclusive environment that nurtures the holistic development of students and promotes a positive learning experience. The abstract provides a concise overview of …

Inclusive Education For All: Identifying Teacher Beliefs About Working With Students With Disabilities, Chelsea Sharek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the beliefs K-12 teachers have when working with students with disabilities in a rural Pennsylvania school district. This study aimed to identify if teachers’ personal beliefs created biases about their students and school systems; thus, forming barriers and preventing an inclusive education when working with disabled students. Instrumentation for this quantitative study is the Multidimensional Attitudes Towards Inclusive Education Scale (MATIES) survey. Findings suggest that some teachers at Sunnyside School District (pseudonym) hold personal beliefs that could create biases about their students and school system that may form barriers when working with …

P-12 Teachers' Perceptions And Knowledge About Students' Mental Health And Their Willingness To Provide Mental Health Supports Within Their Classroom, Tamara Engel

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

P-12 students are experiencing higher rates of mental health needs, which generates a growing concern among teachers, parents, and educational leaders. Students with mental health challenges may struggle socially, emotionally, behaviorally, and academically and become at a risk for lower academic achievement, reduced graduation rates, and increased school suspensions and expulsions. While most of the literature is qualitative and has consistently identified schools as the ideal location to provide targeted mental health supports to students, teachers have reported having insufficient knowledge, skills, and resources to provide these supports to students. This correlational study aimed to move forward the quantitative methodology …