Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Literacy Instruction In High School: Examining The Perception Of Bilingual And Monolingual Students Of Middle Eastern Origin, Youssef Mosallam

Wayne State University Dissertations

With the growing need to close the gap in instruction for all students there needs to be more of an emphasis on instructional strategies that assist students to achieve in literacy and a focus on their perceptions of the instruction. There is a specific need to support English language learners as they are the fastest growing subgroup in U.S. schools. Moreover, there needs to be a focus on professional development for teachers to support English language learners, multicultural students and all other students that struggle with literacy.

The purpose of the research study was to examine the instructional practices used …

Teaching Information Literacy Skills To Sophomore-Level Biology Majors, Leigh Thompson, Lisa Ann Blankenship

Collier Library and Information Services

Many undergraduate students lack a sound understanding of information literacy. The skills that comprise information literacy are particularly important when combined with scientific writing for biology majors as they are the foundation skills necessary to complete upper-division biology course assignments, better train students for research projects, and prepare students for graduate and professional education. To help undergraduate biology students develop and practice information literacy and scientific writing skills, a series of three one-hour hands-on library sessions, discussions, and homework assignments were developed for Biological Literature, a one-credit, one-hour-per-week, required sophomore-level course. The embedded course librarian developed a learning exercise that …

An Exploration Of The Formal Agricultural Education System In Trinidad And Tobago, Nathan W. Conner, Christopher T. Stripling, Jessica Blythe, Aaron Giorgi, Eric D. Rubenstein, Angel Futrell, Jenny Jenkins, T Grady Roberts

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

A team of nine researchers from the United States spent 10 days exploring the formal agricultural education system in Trinidad and Tobago from primary education through postgraduate education. Data were collected from interviews and observations from students, teachers/instructors, and agricultural producers. The team concluded that (a) the people in Trinidad and Tobago involved in agriculture (teachers, students, and producers) are passionate about agriculture, but believe that the general public demeans agricultural workers and work; (b) Trinidad and Tobago has the capacity to develop a well-trained workforce through a comprehensive agricultural education system that spans from primary education to doctoral instruction, …

Developing Agency For Advocacy: Collaborative Inquiry-Focused School Change Projects As Transformative Learning For Practicing Teachers. The New Educator, Kathryn Brooks, Susan R. Adams

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Many mainstream educators of English language learners (ELLs) have experienced neither adequate pre-service preparation nor appropriate in-service professional development. Yet, ELLs are one of the fastest growing student populations in the United States. While practicing teachers typically espouse the view that all students can learn, they often lack the knowledge and skills necessary to support ELLs in their academic and language development.This gap in preservice teacher education programs often leads general education teachers to rely heavily on bilingual paraprofessionals and language teachers for educating ELL students. This paper describes a 5-year professional development initiative, Project Alianza, during which the researchers …

Putting The Framework To Work: An Ethnographic Exploration Of Race-Based Professional Development, Susan R. Adams, R. Helfenbein

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Louie F. Rodriguez’ (2012) Teachers College Record conceptual paper issues a call to “researchers, practitioners, and policy makers [to]…problematize the concept of recognition…and to introduce a conceptual framework to understand, examine, and help rectify the crisis facing [Latina/o youth]” (p. 1). Though Rodriguez has explicitly named Latina/o youth within the title of his Framework of Recognition, Rodriguez clearly states his intent to extend applications of the Framework beyond Latina/o youth to include other marginalized students, including “students with disabilities, English language learners, immigrants, gay/lesbian/bisexual youth, and students who identify with alternative forms of music, art, and culture” (p.25). Indeed, Rodriguez …

Book Review: Talking Diversity With Teachers And Teacher Educators, Ryan Flessner, Susan C. Adamson

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Book review of "Cruz, B., Ellerbrock, C. R., Vásquez, A., & Howes, E. V. (2014). Talking diversity with teachers and teacher educators: Exercises and critical conversations across the curriculum." by Ryan Flessner and Susan C. Adamson.

The Effects Of Assessment Preparation For The Improvement Of Course Placement And Student Satisfaction At Tacoma Community College, Kari Twogood

All Graduate Projects

There is significant focus on graduation rates and persistence of students in higher education. Lengthy sequences of developmental education have been shown to have detrimental effects on the persistence and graduation rates of students. This study reviewed the research that has been performed concerning persistence in developmental education. A survey of incoming or current students was conducted to study the effects of offering an ACCUPLACER® preparation workshop at Tacoma Community College. The survey collected 733 unduplicated responses. The data indicated that students feel more anxiety as a result of attending the workshop prior to taking the ACCUPLACER® assessment. The data …

An Examination Of The Relationship Among Iraqi High School Students' Science Achievement And Perceptions Of The Value Of Education, Parent Support, And Peer Support In The United States, Samir F. Al-Mandwee

Wayne State University Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation was to quantitatively study Iraqi students (N=90) who arrived in the U.S.A. in the last 20 years. A non-experimental, descriptive research design was used for this study, which took place in one of three high schools in a large Midwestern suburban school district, during the 2013-2014 academic year. Three factors, including the students' perception of the value of education, the parental support, and the peer support, were examined using the Facilitating Conditions Questionnaire. The three subscales were part of a larger self-administered questionnaire used by McInerney (1997). In addition to the FCQ survey, a student …

The Impact Of A Professional Development Program On Teachers' Practice And How Context Variables Influenced Such Practice: A Case Study, Sandra Lynn Yarema

Wayne State University Dissertations

This case study investigated how context variables influenced the impact of a state-funded longitudinal professional development (PD) program on the participant teachers' practice. Data was collected to compare differences in Science Content Knowledge, Science Pedagogical Content Knowledge, and the teachers' practice over the course of the PD program. Contextual variables related to district restructuring and school implementation of district policy evidence a direct effect on time spent on science instruction, specific instructional strategies used, and on the development of a professional community among the participants. This case study substantiates the implication that districts and school policies must provide adequate support …

Elementary Teachers Committed To Actively Teaching Science And Engineering, Julianne Radkowski Opperman Phd

All Student Scholarship

Committed elementary teachers of science and engineering, members of a professional learning community called Collaborative Conversations in STEM, were studied to elicit their perceptions of experiences that influenced their commitment to, and their pedagogical content knowledge of, STEM teaching and learning.

From Local To Global: Purpose, Process, And Product In The Narratives Of Eighth Grade Language Arts Students, Amira Saad Kassem

Wayne State University Dissertations

Using a convenience sampling of 10 eighth-grade language arts students, this exploratory case study examined in depth the literacy processes used by ten 8th grade students to generate various multimodal artifacts that comprise their final projects and the nature of the literacy transactions that fostered these processes over the course of one year in this language arts classroom. Following closely (via the case studies in Chapter Five) how four of the ten students used the literacy events of the classroom to claim spaces to perceive and perform their voices and visions, the study revealed how these students were able to …

Introduction To The Case Studies 2015 : A Compendium Of Cases & Voices From The Field, Mola Dad Shafa, Khadija Khan

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

No abstract provided.

Program In Faculty Development 2015-2016

Program in Faculty Development

Welcome to a new academic year and to opportunities to improve your skills as an educator, scholar and leader in the academic health professions! This booklet will provide you with information about the TJU Faculty Development Program for the 2013–2014 academic year including course listings, registration information, and general program information. This booklet features two “At-a-glance” outlines of the faculty development programs: a course outline for each of the three faculty development program focus areas (education, research/scholarship, and professional development and leadership) and a month-by-month calendar of activities. Detailed program information for each focus area follows. The faculty development programs …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Primary Care, Priti Patel

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

The Capstone Project is focused on communicating, influencing and educating other health care professionals regarding the role of occupational therapy in the future model of primary care delivery initiated by the adoption of the Affordable Care Act and the Triple Aim Initiative. Currently, primary care, the largest health care platform in United States, is not inclusive of occupational therapy services. Occupational therapists have the scope, knowledge and understanding to be part of the redesigned team model of primary care. Educating those currently working in primary care about adding occupational therapy services can have a significant impact on the profession of …

Administrator Perceptions Of How Developmental Education Impacts Student Attrition, Jennifer Michelle Price

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nationally and locally, developmental education students attending community colleges are not persisting at a high rate. This growing attrition problem affects many aspects of a local community college including enrollment, completion rates, and tuition revenue. The purpose of this study was to analyze community college administrators' perceptions of developmental education and how developmental education affects student attrition. The conceptual framework of this study, social constructivism, provided a foundation to better understand the role each administrator plays in this social group. A qualitative study through structured interviews was conducted, targeting 10 college administrators from 1 local community college, from each of …

Countering Student Apathy To Increase Student Engagement, Rebecca Ann Schou

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a suburban elementary school in Maryland, 3 years of data revealed that the school is grappling with the problem of student apathy. While there is a growing body of research on apathy and its effects on student achievement, few researchers have examined the problem from the perspective of the apathetic student. The purpose of this qualitative case study, grounded in the social learning and cognitive development theories of Vygotsky and Piaget, was to explore student apathy and the learning environment at the target school through the perspectives of 8 former students and their parents. The research questions focused on …

An Examination Of Teachers' Reading Instructional Challenges In An Alternative School Setting, Leslie Bowen Retchko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a suburban alternative school, educators of at-risk students reading below grade level often struggled to provide effective reading instruction. As a result, these students were likely to continue to experience academic difficulties, which could limit their career options and their opportunities to contribute to the betterment of society. This study addressed the gap between reading strategies teachers actually used in the classroom and the reading strategies they learned during professional development. The research questions focused on the instructional challenges teachers experienced while working with struggling readers in an alternative school setting. Mastery learning theory and the adult adragogical theory …

Effects Of Common Core Curriculum Standards On High School Students With Disabilities, Nancy Beth Thompson Loedding

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This case study examined the effect of implementing the Common Core Curriculum Standards (CCCS) on students with disabilities (SWD) in a county in northeast Georgia. The study investigated teachers' perceptions regarding the effect of implementing the CCCS in high school English language arts and mathematics classes on the academic success of SWD and their ability to graduate from high school with a regular diploma. Information was also gathered to determine if teachers offered additional supports to SWD as part of the increased academic expectations of the CCCS. In addition, teachers were asked about the preparation they received prior to teaching …

Factors Influencing The Adoption Of Learning Management Systems By Medical Faculty, Kristy Burrough

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite recommendations by the Association of American Medical Colleges regarding

the adoption of technology in medical universities, faculty are still reluctant to adopt new

learning technologies. The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to determine

the factors existing in the adoption of learning management technology among late

adopters within the faculty of colleges labeled as comprehensive academic medical

centers. Using the Everett Rogers diffusion of innovations theory as its framework, this

study sought to ascertain the factors late adopters identify as preventing them from

adopting technology and to determine what measures they suggest to increase technology

adoption among their …

Middle School Teachers' Experiences With Cross-Curricular Connections At The Incident Level, Melita M. Penchalk

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many curricular innovations, including cross-curricular teaching, are started in schools without adequate teacher preparation and support, reducing the effectiveness of the interventions in supporting student learning. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the implementation of the cross-curricular connections teaching technique in middle schools. Research questions focused on how middle school teachers experienced implementation of cross-curricular teaching at the incident level and how teachers perceived cross-curricular teaching and its long-term value. Myers-Briggs personality type theory informed the study, supporting the postulation that teachers are more comfortable teaching from their personality types. Data from 10 middle school teachers …