Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Curriculum Change: A Study On Teacher Perceptions Of Curriculum Change On Content Standards, Tiffany Kessler-Hopek

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, curriculum has encountered frequent changes throughout years. The main initiative of educational change has three main components, and they are to increase the quality and rigor of the curriculum, have a common curriculum, and prepare students for secondary education. The standards in the state of Georgia have changed from Georgia Performance Standards and Common Core State Standards to the more recent Georgia Standards of Excellence. By the school year 2018-2019, the Georgia Standards of Excellence should be fully adopted. An explanatory sequential mixed methods study was conducted to examine the perceptions of teachers on curriculum change …

Problems Faced By Secondary Technology Education Novice And Veteran Teachers, Sally E. Arnett-Hartwick, John Cannon

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The purpose of this study was to examine the challenges faced by secondary technology education (TE) teachers in Illinois. Specifically, the study sought to identify and categorize a list of challenges encountered during their first years in the TE profession as well as challenges that veteran TE teachers are facing in their current teaching assignment. Seventy-three TE teachers completed an online questionnaire. Twenty-six challenges were identified and of the top five challenges, only three, equipment, funding, and understanding what TE is were identified as a continuous challenge at each career stage. Knowing the challenges identified by TE teachers at different …

Seeing The World Differently. An Exploration Of A Professional Development Model Bridging Science And Lay Cultures, Michael D. Garrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the rationale, efficacy, and social validity of a professional development model designed to move elementary school science activities closer to the practices of working scientists as required by the United States’ “Next Generation Science Standards.” The model is culturally sensitive and aims to create experiences with high subjective task value. The formal theory of change uses scaffolding, Piagetian agency, and Vygotskian learning opportunities to argue that culturally familiar representational tasks in culturally natural intersubjective contexts can lead to work prototypical of scientific modeling under particular facilitation conditions: when participants (a) are allowed free use of their cognitive …

Inversed Learning In An Intermediate Accounting Course, Ashley B. Bentley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students enrolled in accounting courses often struggle because of the complexity of the topic. Accounting instructors have searched for effective means of fostering student success, but the learning process continues to change. Critical thinking and problem solving abilities are vital for students and future professionals. Thus, teaching should not be limited to the transmission of information. By moving the dissemination of basic knowledge outside the classroom inversed learning allows class time for deep dives into complex topics and hands-on activities. Students who are actively involved in learning tend to be more successful in the classroom.

The purpose of this study …

Characteristics Of High Quality Teachers: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Kelli Barnett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative investigation was conducted to explore the characteristics of high quality teachers. This study used a phenomenological methodology, enabling the researcher to gather information from a purposeful selection of people directly identified as high quality teachers by their principals. This study employed processes of data collection commonly used in observational analysis and included the use of interviews found in qualitative design.

The researcher was able to extract meaning using the coding process and the constant comparative method. Information was sorted into themes that supported and aligned with the research questions leading to a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. This …

The Change Process And The Implementation Of High School Jostens Renaissance Programs: A Multiple Case Study, Gregory G. English

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Motivated by the growing body of research relating to the impact school climate has on student achievement, attendance, behavior, and mental well-being, many educators have implemented initiatives and programs aimed at school climate improvement. Jostens Renaissance is one such program and was the program of focus for this study. Though Jostens has numerous publications and media sources to facilitate the sharing of ideas, there is very little information available regarding the implementation of Renaissance.

The primary purpose of this study was to identify factors that facilitated change in the process of implementing high school Jostens Renaissance programs in order to …

Training For Evidence-Based Youth Physical Activity Leader Practices, A. Jake Larose

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Purpose: From a social ecological viewpoint, the way in which individuals interact with their surrounding environment, has a direct effect on their actions. One approach to modify behavior change is to strive to change the environment, thus driving behavior change. Participating in physical activity (PA) is a behavior to be targeted, due to its numerous health benefits. A population to consider targeting for increasing PA is children, as creating PA habits in childhood has been shown to track into adulthood . Change at a population level should begin by focusing efforts on the environments in which children are spending their …

Standards-Based Grading: A Correlational Study Between Grades And End-Of-Level Test Scores, Tyler R. Poll

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As students move from grade level to grade level and onto college, their grades have an impact on the number of opportunities available to students. The competition for entering college and earning a scholarship are at an all-time high and the grades students earn have a direct impact on future opportunities. Grading practices vary by teacher causing students’ grades to mean different things.

Standards-based grading practices focus on removing teacher bias and puts emphasis on the learning students can demonstrate. Students are given assessments to determine learning and are given multiple opportunities to show what they have learned. Emphasis is …

A Case Study Of The Driven 2 Teach Program: Site-Based Experiential Professional Development For History Teachers, Hadyn Bowen Call

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Driven 2 Teach is a privately funded program for history teachers in the state of Utah. The program emphasizes the importance of teacher travel to educate history teachers in the places where history happened. This study investigated the program’s influence on participant gains in learning about history and how to best teach about the past, social studies professional development, teacher beliefs, and changes in instructional practices. This study utilized a case study methodology, autoethnography, and six interconnected frameworks: Professional development, experiential education, site-based learning, pedagogical content knowledge, teacher beliefs, and professional learning communities. This study helps demonstrate the effectiveness of …

Assessment And Support For Basic Computer Skills At Community College Hispanic Serving Institutions In California, Jason Wayne Hough

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This cross-sectional survey study was conducted to determine if California community colleges designated as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) assess incoming students for basic computer skills, provide learning support for these skills, as well as assess the attitude of administrators towards basic computer skills of incoming students. Prior published research documented the false assumption in higher education incoming students are “digital natives”, capable of effectively using technology expected on college campuses; however, there was no research focused on community colleges designated as HSIs. The study adds to the body of literature about the assessment of and support for basic computer skills …

Elementary Preservice Teacher Preparation To Teach Mathematics And Science In An Integrated Stem Framework, Kelly Overby Byrd

Dissertations

This study investigated the extent to which successful completion of integrated mathematics and science methods of instruction courses related to elementary preservice teachers’ attitudes toward and confidence in teaching integrated STEM lessons, and the extent to which their attitudes and confidence correlated with their proficiency in planning integrated STEM lessons. A mixed-methods, longitudinal research design, with a sequential, explanatory approach was used. Participants included twenty-four elementary preservice teachers enrolled in their final two semesters of a teacher preparation program at a four-year public university in the southeastern U.S. To address the research questions in this study, both quantitative and qualitative …

Using Social-Emotional Learning To Help Behavioral Problems, Hannah Taylor Byrd

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This Capstone Project focused on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) to help manage behavioral problems that students may face. A class of 25 fourth-grade students attending a public K-5 school participated in this Capstone Project. SEL teachings were condensed into a four-week lesson plan which focused on various skills, catered to help this class’ specific deficits. To match the students’ needs, the lessons were designed to promote positive participation and raise self-esteem so students feel comfortable sharing out during discussions. The students learned what perseverance and encouragement meant to them and participated in activities relating to these skills. By the end of …

Increasing Awareness Of Romantic Behaviors In Former Foster Youth, Kimberly Beardshear

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Because of their inexperience, emerging adults often have a difficult time navigating healthy romantic relationships. For many, the skills necessary for quality relationships are usually learned through parents, friends, or mentors. Foster youth, in particular, may struggle more in developing and sustaining romantic relationships due to the lack of or inconsistent parental guidance or mentoring. To address this, I have created a two-hour lesson for emerging adult foster youth attending Hartnell College in Salinas, California. The content will be comprised of the characteristics of a healthy relationship, role-play scenarios, identifying unhealthy relationship behaviors, and how to use healthy relationship behaviors.

Teacher Burnout: A Comparison Between Title I And Non-Title I Elementary School Teachers, Sandra Anne Russell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With school reform and teacher accountability on the forefront of the educational landscape, attention has turned to investigating why so many teachers leave the profession after a relatively short time. Burnout is often cited as a major contributor to this teacher exodus. While many studies have focused on teacher burnout relative to the specific tasks that teachers perform and on the populations they serve, there is no research on how teacher burnout differs between Title I and non-Title I schools in an urban school district in Virginia. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to investigate if teachers’ perceptions of …

A Space To Learn, Amy R. Goods

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this dissertation, I explore what it means to different people, in different places throughout life’s spectrum to create a space to learn. This dissertation is a collection of work that I have written throughout my time at the CUNY Graduate Center. The chapters herein represent an arch of my learning over the past five years. The title, A Space to Learn, has multiple meanings. For one, writing this dissertation has provided me a space to explore and reflect on a variety of topics, ranging from memory loss, to teacher preparation programs, to eugenics and special education, to tracking and …

Work Of Heart: Myself As Both Teacher And Learner, Chaille M. Kitchen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This autoethnographic paper explores my role as a teacher-learner. Who am I as a teacher? How has my past and present shaped me into the teacher that I am and want to become? To address these questions, I examine the cultural context into which I fit as a college instructor of English in a college community. I also examine my memories of my own mentors and students, which emphasize how my most valued learning experiences stemmed from mentors who have seen me as an individual, and when I see my own students as individuals. To explore the conditions that produce …

Across Curriculums: A Need For Audiology Instruction For Teachers Of The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing, Jenna M. Morishita

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objective: The purpose of this project is to gain insight into the requirements of teacher education programs with regard to instruction in audiology for teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing. Though individual teacher preparation programs have vast differences as they pertain to philosophy and methodology, graduates of each of these programs seek to work with children with hearing loss and therefore should have more than a basic understanding of audiology.

Method: The websites and course catalogs (when available) were reviewed for the 48 graduate programs listed on DeafEd.net. Data was collected on courses with the term “audiology” in …

Undergraduate Elementary Teacher Candidates’ Perceived Preparedness And Attitudes Toward Inclusion, Jewel Mahoe

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

The aim of this research is to recognize teacher candidates’ attitudes towards inclusion and perceived preparedness regarding special education. Research was conducted using a survey. The survey was administered to students by paper or online via Qualtrics. Over 100 responses were collected from undergraduate students. Data from the surveys were compiled to analyze correlations. It is anticipated that data correlations will display a trend of neutral or low confidence levels in individuals’ abilities. The results of this research will ultimately provide key information to target skills that elementary education teacher candidates feel they are lacking within the existing special education …

Why Study Language? Discussing Language And Its Influence On Gender Discrimination, Katelyn Eisenmann

Honors Projects

An applied research project, with the culminating piece being a panel discussion that focused on the ways in which language use and structure contribute to attitudes and perceptions of gender within our society, and the politics that surround concepts of gender.

Quantifying The Value Teachers Place On Non-Monetary Factors When Evaluating Job Opportunities, Jeffrey Gunther

Teacher Education and Leadership Student Research

The way in which working conditions, personal characteristics, and school factors influence teacher recruitment and retention is an oft-studied topic in the field of education finance and policy. Through decades of research, it has become increasingly clear that teachers respond to a set of monetary and non-monetary factors when making decisions in the teacher labor market. What is less clear is the relative or absolute value teachers place on factors such as salary, student demographic factors, school conditions, and other working conditions such as class size, curricular autonomy, and principal support, to name a few. This project introduces the use …