Digital Commons Network^™

Practitioner Inquiry: Supporting Teachers During A National Pandemic, Carol Brooke Scott

Theses and Dissertations

During this practitioner inquiry, action research study, teachers from a suburban elementary school in the southeastern part of the United States were purposefully sampled to investigate their overall successes and challenges as they were forced to abruptly change their instruction during the global COVID-19 pandemic to engage students in various learning environments such as face-to-face instruction, hybrid instruction, and virtual instruction. A collaborative practitioner inquiry group intentionally designed professional development based on the successes and challenges indicated by teachers through the use of the Atlas: Looking at Data protocol. Data collection methods consisted of a reflective survey, extensive memoing, and …

Formation Of A Professional Learning Community To Promote Metacognitive Teaching: An Action Research Study, Margaret Gregg Long

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods action research study examined how implementing a Professional Learning Community (PLC) supports the development of metacognitive teaching. Participants were ten technical college science instructors. While PLCs are common in K-12 education, they are less employed at the postsecondary level. There is a gap in the literature regarding PLCs in the context of postsecondary education, and the metacognition of postsecondary level educators. A PLC was used as an intervention over a 15-week semester to aid in the development of metacognitive teaching. Instructor use of metacognition was assessed using pre- and post-surveys, questionnaires, and interviews. The study's results supported literature …

Leading Organizational Learning, Jessica C. Wells

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Leadership is hard to define but easy to recognize and is found in every facet of life. Leaders themselves range from good to bad, the extremities of which are determined by their character, actions, perception of self, how they are perceived by others and their worldviews. An individual’s values provide the basis for ethical decisions, which makes self-awareness a critical element in the development of one’s leader identity. This article provides an overview of leader identity development and offers ways for leaders to apply ethics in their everyday lives.

Adaptation Of The Brockton High School Literacy Initiative To Elementary Schools In Jackson County, West Virginia, Sonya Jane White

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Implementing organizational change related to student achievement is a daunting task that requires buy-in, planning and support structures to ensure fidelity of implementation in the classroom over many years. Brockton High School’s Literacy Model demonstrated such a change is possible and sustainable. Elementary schools in Jackson County, West Virginia were given a mandate from their superintendent to implement the Brockton High School Literacy Model in the kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms in their schools. The immediate concern was how to successfully modify or adapt a high school model to be appropriate for students who were still learning to read and …

Improving Health Science Faculty's Comprehension Of Test Item-Analysis, Tunisia Love

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Background: Differences in testing can lead to student frustration and questionable evaluation of student learning. Inconsistency in testing practices include differing levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, Faculty-written items versus publisher test bank items, and variations in grading. Failure to provide quality student learning assessment and evaluation tools and methods can negatively impact both student and program outcomes. Performing analysis of test items can improve quality of and consistency in evaluation of student learning.

Objective/Purpose of the Project: This quality improvement DNP project investigated the impact of an educational intervention on multiple choice question (MCQ) test-item analysis on the Health …

Teachers’ Experiences Of A District’S Transformational Leadership Design Program: A Qualitative Study, Jarit Unrau

Education (PhD) Dissertations

Facing the rapidly changing 21st-century education, educational organizations strive for innovative ideas to continuously motivate their teachers to enhance student performance. iLead is a district’s pioneering attempt to incorporate transformational leadership's essential elements, the four I’s, Inspirational Motivation, Idealized Influence, Intellectual Stimulation, and Individualized Consideration, into its program design and implementation to develop a collaborative learning culture through teacher motivation and the focus on improving student achievement. The iLead program has drawn statewide attention by winning the 2020 California Golden Bell Awards recently. The annual awards promote excellence in education and recognize prominent California schools’ and districts’ programs and exemplary …

Focus On Outcomes: Fostering Systemic Departmental Improvements, Daniel L. Reinholz, Mary E. Pilgrim, Amelia Stone-Johnson, Karen Falkenburg, Christopher Geanious, Courtney Ngai, Joel Christopher Corbo, Sarah B. Wise

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This article describes how a focus on outcomes can be a tool for guiding systemic change. By focusing on positive outcomes to be achieved, a group can guide its collective efforts toward an ideal future rather than becoming fixated on individual problems to solve. While there is support for an outcome-guided approach in the literature on individual and organizational change, this approach has not been used extensively to support department-level changes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

Lessons From The Pivot: Higher Education's Response To The Pandemic, Janine S. Davis, Christy Irish

Education Faculty Articles

The intensity of major events often leads us to remember minute details of where we were and what we were doing when they occurred: what we wore as we watched the towers fall on September 11, 2001; the faces of our classmates when the space shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986; the smell in the air when we lived through a major earthquake, fire, or other personal tragedy. Similarly, faculty, staff, and students will remember the series of moments that led to the closure of their schools and universities as the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the world--the timeline …

Lessons From The Pivot: Higher Education's Response To The Pandemic, Janine S. Davis, Christy Irish, Ellen Watson, Rosemary Huff Arneson, Jennifer D. Walker, Tracey S. Hodges, Olivia Murphy, Lee Skallerup Bessette, Et Al.

Education Faculty Books

This text includes chapters from instructional designers, university faculty and staff, and undergraduate and graduate students, and the text has been divided into three sections to reflect these varied perspectives. Each section begins with research-based perspectives, but also contains more personal narratives at the end. While the context of most of the chapters is the United States, there are also chapters with a Canadian context. It is also important to note that, as of the first half of 2021, the pandemic rages on, and mentions of COVID-19 in the following chapters will be reflective of the state of affairs in …

Second Language Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Pedagogical Practices, Collaborations, And Relationships With Other Teachers Through Professional Development, Simone Smala, Robyn M. Gillies, Katherine Mclay, Huong Ngyuen

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper reports on the relationship between language teacher practices and their collaborations with other teachers through professional development. The paper argues that there is a link between the disposition to use evidence-based practices in language teaching, and ongoing reinforcement of such practices through dialogic exchange in professional practice sessions. Furthermore, the paper understands the learning and development of such disposition as a career-long endeavour, first encountered in quality teacher education programs and then continued by committing to ongoing professional development. Survey data were collected from a group of language teachers from various second languages in primary and secondary schools …

Examining The Experiences Of New Manager Coaches, Theresa Greer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this study was to examine new managers' experiences as they transitioned from an individual contributor and coachee to a manager and coach at Blue Sun Corporation (pseudonym). Understanding these experiences was essential to providing appropriate support to help new manager coaches acquire the coaching skills needed to consistently coach and develop their employees. This study's results will guide the design of future new manager training and organizational support initiatives by providing a deeper understanding of new manager coaches' experiences. A phenomenological research design was used for this study because it focused on understanding new manager coaches' experiences …

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 …

Flip To Learn & Learn To Flip In Occupational Therapy Education: A Scoping Review, Sapna Chakraborty, Monica L. Robinson, Denise Dermody, Salvador Bondoc

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

Faculty seek methods that efficiently use their time, facilitate deep learning, and acquire competencies through the curriculum. The flipped classroom, a pedagogical approach, is proposed to be one solution to these issues. This study is a scoping review of how health care professional courses apply the flipped classroom model. The specific aims of this scoping review are: (a) determine the health care disciplines using and researching flipped classrooms, (b) identify and categorize instructional/course design and teaching and learning strategies used in flipped classroom literature, and (c) classify the levels of evidence-based education and trustworthiness in the studies as defined by …

Shifting Paradigms: Using Action Research To Redefine Engagement In Faith Formation In Unitarian Universalism, Amy Huntereece

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The issues that this research addressed were the changes related to engagement in religious education (RE) in the Unitarian Universalist (UU) church in the past several decades. To address this problem, the purpose of this research was to innovatively problem-solve with other religious professionals and consider how to redefine engagement to support families in their faith formation. The research aims to answer the question: How could UU RE professionals more effectively engage families in faith formation opportunities designed to meet the desired outcomes of RE parents/caregivers? To gather data, interviews with seven Millennial and Generation X parents/caregivers from the Baja …

Educating For Global Competence: Co-Constructing Outcomes In The Field: An Action Research Project, Kristina A. Van Winkle

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Capacity building for globally competent educators is a 21st Century imperative to address contemporary complex and constantly changing challenges. This action research project is grounded in positive psychology, positive organizational scholarship, relational cultural theory, and relational leadership practices. It sought to identify adaptive challenges educators face as they try to integrate globally competent teaching practices into their curricula, demonstrate learning and growth experienced by the educators in this project, and provide guidance and solutions to the challenges globally competent educators face. Six educators participated in this three-phase project, which included focus groups, reflective journal entries, and an exit interview. Data …

Re-Imagining The Future Of Experiential Learning Through A Campus-Wide Design Thinking Initiative, Karen L. Sanzo, Tancy Vandecar-Burdin, Tisha M. Paredes, Lisa Mayes, Brian Payne

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

In 2020, Old Dominion University was awarded a State Council for Higher Education for Virginia grant in order to re-imagine the future of experiential learning at the institution. This campus-wide effort is led by a taskforce to create a vision, framework, and plan for the future of experiential learning at Old Dominion University. The taskforce is composed of stakeholders that include students, faculty, administrators, and community and business partners. In this chapter, the authors report on process and progress, with particular attention to the first three phases of the design thinking process. In the empathy phase, they have engaged in …

After The Protests: A Campus Racial Climate Case Study Of The Perception And Curricular Responses For Institutional Reforms, Following The Black Students’ Demands For Interventions At The University Of Missouri-Columbia, Bruce E. Mitchell Ii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This qualitative method single case study explores the phenomenon of a racially tense campus climate at the University of Missouri Columbia, a Predominantly White Midwestern Institution. At the forefront of the media regarding student and athlete protests, leading to the resignation of senior level administrators, African American students put forth eight demands to their administrators. Included, was the creation and implementation of a required racial awareness and inclusion curriculum. The study explores the perceptions of the institutional response to an exceptional campus racial climate issue and the process of formulating and participating in a diversity training course and a semester …

A Program Evaluation Of The Implementation Process Of A Phonics First® Initiative, Amanda Picard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation of the Phonics First® program within one district to inform district level curriculum team decisions and program planning moving forward. As a level 4 Directed State Support district, the studied district was looking for ways to close the achievement gap and raise overall academic achievement in reading. To do so, the implementation of core reading program initiatives such as Phonics First® was assessed to determine how best to utilize and monitor the Phonics First® program to achieve the district’s desired outcomes. This study utilized a decision-oriented program evaluation using a …

Perceptions Of Special Education Supports By School Administrators, Eric P. Oxford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study analyzed the perceptions of special education supports by school administrators. Specifically, this research discussed comparative findings of perceptions of special education supports between building principals and building-based special education team chairpersons in one Massachusetts public school district. The findings are grounded in the district’s inclusive philosophy and its capability to ensure that all students are provided educational opportunities in the least restrictive educational environment. The problem studied was that many students with disabilities who are unable to find academic success within an inclusive academic environment are typically transitioned into a more restrictive—or substantially separate—alternative education setting. It …

Development And Validation Of A Global Competency Framework For Preparing New Graduates For Early Career Professional Roles, Mark Strong, Gary J. Burkholder, Emily Solberg, Amy Stellmack, William Presson, Jean-Bernard Seitz

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: The current objectives include the development of a global competency model applicable across a wide range of jobs, industries, and geographies for university graduates entering the workplace.

Method: The competency model was developed utilizing a global panel of subject matter experts and a validation survey of over 25,000 students, faculty, staff, and employers across more than 30 countries.

Results: The results showed substantial consistency for the importance and criticality ratings of the competencies, with Achieving Objectives, Analyzing and Solving Problems, Adapting to Change, Communicating Orally, Learning and Self-Development, Making Decisions, Planning and Organizing, and Working Well with Others as …

Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support And School Leadership In High-Achieving Pennsylvania Schoolwide Title 1 Elementary Schools, Malinda Jane Mikesell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This explanatory case study illustrates how some Pennsylvania Schoolwide Title 1 elementary schools are thriving on state assessments while others are unable to achieve this success. The study was limited to this population of elementary schools to focus on how and why some schools with high percentages of students who receive free and reduced lunch are achieving excellent student achievement. First, the differences between Schoolwide Title 1 schools’ achievement on the Pennsylvania state assessments were categorized. Then Schoolwide Title 1 elementary schools with the highest percentages of students with low socioeconomic status (SES), who still achieved proficient school performance …

“Am I Really Good Enough?”: Black And Latinx Experiences With Faculty Development, Sylk Santiago-Sotto

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This study focuses on the experiences of Black and Latinx faculty in academic medicine in relation to their educational and faculty development. Narratives by participants reflect on their career path and refer to faculty development programs as valuable but also as dominant group-centric, counter to their cultural backgrounds and the underrepresented faculty experience. Findings reveal the need for faculty development to be spaces for affirmation, validation, and accountability and suggest the need for tailored programs. Furthermore, implications on the research and practice of faculty affairs within higher education and academic medicine are outlined.

Exploring The Needs, Practices, And Attitudes Toward Technology Integration Of Community College Esol Instructors: Recommendations For Professional Development Through Action Research, Courtney Cunningham

Theses and Dissertations

Research has established both the importance of integrating technology in English language learning and of properly training teachers in order to integrate technology effectively. Inadequate teacher and learner training prevent technology from being utilized to its fullest potential in the English language classroom. A portion of the problem is due to lack of training for practicing teachers. While this is true for English as a second language teachers in all contexts, there is a strong need for instructors working with adult learners to utilize technology and be properly trained in technology integration. Professional development is a way to overcome barriers …

On Matters Of Feedback: Supporting The Online Grading Feedback Process With Web-Based, Collaborative Comment Banks, Jennifer Schneider

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study describes how a web-based, feedback comment bank impacts online instructor efficacy as well as attitudes and perceptions associated with the online grading feedback process. Bandura’s work on individual self-efficacy, Tschannen-Moran and Hoy’s work on instructor efficacy, and Hattie’s work on collective efficacy, along with Wiggins and Hattie and Clarke’s work on grading feedback represent the core of the study’s theoretical framework. The study adopted a mixed-methods action research design to examine three research questions: “How does the use of a web-based grading feedback comment bank impact online instructor’s teaching efficacy?,” “How does the use of a …

An Administrator's Perspective On The Novel Coronavirus, Jane Beese, Melissa Mlakar

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

In our current situation, of COVID 19, many school administrators feel helpless and powerless. Bringing students back into the classroom puts leaders in a position where they cannot guarantee everyone’s safety. Leaders are under pressure to keep faculty, staff, and students safe and that responsibility can be overwhelming (National Association of Secondary School Principals, 2020a). Administrators have an obligation to provide an education to students. It is what educators, do, after all. However, school leaders also have an obligation as an employer to make sure our staff is supported and safe. It is hard to believe that leaders can do …

Four-Week Foundational Mindfulness Curriculum For Small Businesses, Madeleine Pizey

Mindfulness Studies Theses

Abstract

This creative thesis is for trained mindfulness instructors and facilitators to offer small businesses a curriculum to reduce burnout among their employees and strengthen their inner-resilience through a four-week mindfulness training in the workplace or virtually. This thesis contains a rationale paper which includes a literature review. The focus of this thesis is on offering a four-week foundational mindfulness training for small businesses of twenty-five or fewer employees. It will include the purpose of having this type of training and how it will be of service, the benefits of this type of training, the current epidemic of burnout occurring …

Increased Ambiguity And Resistance While New College Leaders Learn Their Roles, Christopher A. Gearin, Brian Dunican, John Castles

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This article explores tolerance of ambiguity and its effect on change resistance from the perception of new higher education presidents who often feel overwhelmed by the level of perceived resistance while they learn a new environment. Two separate yet complementary studies were compared for resistance to change: one qualitative and one quantitative. The qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to explore a new higher education leaders’ perspective of facing resistance during the change process. The quantitative study examined the 36-question survey results of individual higher education employees affected by higher education change. The intersection of the two studies explored, through …

A Case Study Of Academic Performance In A K-8 School Model, Jamie North

Dissertations

The historical and current dispute on how to educate middle grade students continues to puzzle today’s leaders of school systems nationwide. As a result of conflicting research on academically high performing schools, scholars and school decision makers continue the discussion on the influence of grade span configurations on academic performance. The purpose of my mixed method case study was to explore how teachers and school principals perceive the role of collective efficacy as influencing academic performance for grade eight students in the school under study. My study obtained input from school principals, district leaders, and teachers guided by the following …

Community College Faculty And Administrators' Perceptions Of Civic Engagement In General Education, Eric Thomas Vanover

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The President’s Commission on Higher Education (1947) firmly established civic engagement as a principle function of higher education. The report emphasized college-level learning as a democratic function by producing informed, active citizens essential to the future of American democracy. Chickering (2008) argued the United States faced a critical lack of engaged citizenship and in A Crucible Moment (2012), this concern was declared an outright emergency. In recent years many colleges and universities have re-embraced civic engagement as an important component of general education. Although the establishment of community colleges was a direct result of the Truman Commission’s report, the literature …

A Strategic Plan To Thread Genomics Competencies Into Undergraduate Curriculum, Holly Mathis

Dissertations

Problem: Genomics in undergraduate nursing education has experienced slow adoption in the United States. Various approaches have been proposed but do not address barriers to successful implementation.

Methods: A strategic plan was developed to increase the amount of genetics and genomic content in the curriculum of an undergraduate nursing program. A gap analysis was performed on the curriculum revealing a paucity of content. A SWOT analysis informed the strategic plan, which included a faculty education program using the ANA/ISONG’s Essentials of Genetic and Genomic Nursing: Competencies, Curricula Guidelines and Outcome Indicators (2^nd ed.) (2009) as a foundation.

Results: Faculty …