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A Study Of Special Preparation And Training Needs Of Middle School Teachers, Marilyn Seger

Dissertations and Theses

The concept of middle level schooling has existed in the United States since the early 1900s. During the early 1960s, middle level schools were organized to meet the unique developmental needs of early adolescents. Yet, special training, preparation and/or certification for aspiring teachers who wish to work at this level are not available in the majority of states. Many state licensing agencies provide either elementary or secondary certification, which historically was believed to be adequate for middle level teaching. This study investigates the special preparation and training needs of middle level teachers as perceived by teachers and administrators in a …

Descriptive Case Studies Of The Socialization And Acculturation Of Two Mentored First-Year Elementary Teachers Within The Seventh-Day Adventist School System, Carole B. Smith

Dissertations

Problem. A qualitative design was employed in this study to: (1) investigate the experiences and perceptions of two first-year elementary teachers within the Seventh-day Adventist educational system, (2) gain a better understanding of new teachers’ socialization and acculturation during their first year of teaching, and (3) use beginning teacher concerns gleaned from this study and previous studies to identify the kinds of support that need to be offered in a new teacher induction program within the Adventist educational system.

Method. I studied two first-year teachers, employed full-time at the elementary level by Scenic Vista Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Qualitative data …

Vision And The Ideal Teacher: Implications For Educational Practice, Rosalind Victoria Aaron

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to describe how and why teachers with a vision of an ideal teacher have chosen teaching as their profession and to articulate how that vision has influenced their educational practice.

Procedure. This study was conducted in the classroom setting using qualitative methods. The qualitative techniques were informal and formal interviews, non-participant observations, and personal journal entries.

Conclusions. The findings of the study revealed that the three teachers do have visions, which they clearly articulated. Their visions resulted from their interaction with others, but specifically with some of their former teachers. As new ideas, …

Teacher Efficacy And The Use Of Specific Instructional Practices By Seventh- And Eighth-Grade Science Teachers In The United States, Larry Dale Burton

Dissertations

Problem. Current reform efforts in science education are constructivist in nature and call for major changes in the way science has been taught in the schools. Teacher efficacy, a measure of perceived instructional empowerment, is one variable which has been linked to teacher change and general classroom innovation. However, the specific relationship between efficacy and innovative science instruction had not been examined.

Method. This descriptive study employed a correlational design utilizing cross-sectional survey methodology. Data were collected via a three-part survey instrument. The purpose ofthis design was to gather descriptive data on science education in seventh- and eighth-grade classes in …

Using The "Questionnaire On Teacher Interaction" In The Professional Development Of Teachers., Darrell Fisher, Barry Fraser, John Cresswell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

For some time in Australia, the Schools Council of the National Board of Employment, Education. and Training has been concerned with issues concerning the quality of teaching as evidenced through its reports on Teacher Quality: An Issues Paper (1989) and Australia's Teachers: An Agenda for the Next Decade (1990). These reports and others highlight the need for teachers to examine continually what they do in their classrooms. Most recently, teacher quality and the need for continued professional development of teachers has been the subject of a ministerial statement (Beazley, 1993). This report notes how the impact of, and responsibility for, …

Reflection, Rhetoric Or Reality : A Case Study In Preservice Teacher Education, Denis Mclaughlin, Pam Hanifin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Over the last decade, the term 'reflection', has reemerged as a central focus surrounding the issue of providing a practical, technical oriented teacher preparation program, as opposed to a liberal, socially oriented, type education (Richardson, 1990). Whilst there has been much support for the image of the teacher as a reflective professional (Schon, 1983), there appears to be no definitive' description as to what constitutes reflective practice, or scholarly consensus as to the ways and means by which teacher educators might encourage its development. It has been described as "difficult" (Wildman & Niles, 1987), "fuzzy" (Tom, 1987), "problematic" (Ross, 1989), …

Teaching English Communicatively In China - Educating Teachers Is Not Enough., Bernard Hird

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The extent to which the communicative language teaching approach is a relevant and viable methodology for English language teachers to use in China is an issue that has generated considerable interest in recent years. The conclusions drawn in this article are based on experiences of teaching in an in-service course for senior middle-school teachers of English in Hangzhou, China. The paper suggests that the communicative approach does have a role in English language teaching in China but that aspects of the approach need to be applied selectively and with caution. Some of the reasons for this stem from the nature …

Technology In Teacher Education : Using Multimedia To Enhance The Design And Make Processes., Brian Ferry, Christine Brown

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper reports on the use of a multimedia journal to enhance a subject in technology education. The subject was delivered to preservice teachers studying to be primary school teachers. The multimedia journal was used to assist in the delivery of the subject and to record the progress made by students. It is argued that multimedia used in this manner complements and extends upon the teaching program and becomes an integral part of the learning process

The Practicum In Tafe Teacher Education : The Challenge Of Contextual Diversity., Ralph Blunden

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The Hawthorn Institute of Education has had a long tradition of training Technical and Further Education (henceforth, 'TAFE') teachers. The TAFE context in general (and the practicum context in TAFE colleges in particular) gives rise to many difficulties and challenges which do not beset the pre-service education of secondary teachers (at least not to the same degree). In this paper, after briefly sketching the historical context of TAFE and TAFE teacher preparation, attention is drawn to the diversity of TAFE in Victoria. Following this, some examples of· practicum supervision situations are provided to illustrate how they differ from the standard …

Public Speaking For Graduate Student Reachers In The Diploma Of Education., D. M. Murison Travers

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Graduate student teachers in the Diploma of Education took part in a 10 hour elective on speaking in groups, aimed at helping those who were communication apprehensive or shy to overcome their fears. Confident speakers also took part, to provide modelling and assistance, and to learn ways of teaching oral communication in school. McCroskey's (1977) Verbal Activity Scale (VAS) and Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA) were used with a questionnaire evaluating the programme (EvaIProg) to compare the reactions of the more and less confident speakers to the activities. The less confident speakers claimed to benefit from the programme, which …

Four Book Reviews, Carlisle Sheridan, Ann Crittenden, Bruce Haynes, M. Wild, A. M. Blackmore

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Fox, Mem. (1993) Radical reflections : passionate opinions on teaching, learning, and living. Sydney, Harcourt Brace.

Ingvarson, L, and Chadbourne, R (Editors) (1994) Valuing teachers' work : new directions in teacher appraisal. Camberwell, Vic : Australian Council for Educational Research.

Shears, L. (Editor) (1995) Computers and schools. Camberwell, Vic : ACER.

Maltby, F., Gage, N. L. & Berliner, D. (1995) Educational psychology : an Australian and New Zealand perspective. Brisbane : John Wiley.

Beginning Teacher Education : Students' Conceptions Of Teaching And Approaches To Learning., Carol A. Christensen, David R. Massey, Peter J. Isaacs, John Synott

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Twenty preservice teachers were interviewed prior to commencement of their teacher education course to establish the conceptions of teaching and approaches to learning with which they entered the course. Students were categorised as surface, deep or achieving in their learning orientations (Biggs, 1987). Five conceptions of teaching were identified: the nurturing helper, authority and disciplinarian, shaper of children's lives, presenter of information and facilitator of thinking and learning. There was a consistent relationship between conceptions of learning and conceptions of teaching. Surface learners tended to see teaching as transmission of information. There were very few deep learners, however they tended …

Development Of A Constructivist Model For Teacher Inservice., Brian Hand, David F. Treagust

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this paper, we consider a model for teacher inservice that is informed by constructlvlsm. Initially, we consider the criteria for identifying conceptual change, briefly examine research on the roles which teachers engage in when implementing innovations, and describing different knowledge bases needed m usmg teaching approaches informed by constructivist referents. Secondly, we describe an inservice programme for science teachers in one high school, and thirdly show how a five-stage model to introduce teaching/learning approaches informed by constructivism was developed.

Differential Outcomes Of Various Models Of Work Experience, Peter Sinclair

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In Western Australia an increasing number of secondary school students participate in work experience programs. Different models of work experience are becoming more common. The Ministry of. Education promotes the use of four such models. The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes of work experience, as perceived by secondary school students in selected Government Schools, to see if there were any differences according to the model of work experience used. These perceptions were further examined to see if there was a significant difference in perceived outcomes according to other independent variables of student gender, year level, geographic …

The Dynamic Interaction Of Higher Education, Teacher Education, And School Reform : A Tecscu Dialogue, David Else

Faculty Book Gallery

In partnership with the Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities (TECSCU), this unique IEL working conference format was utilized at the 1994 Fall TECSCU Conference in Denver, Colorado. Conference participants self-selected one of four issue areas for indepth dialogue: (a) Changing the Architecture of the University to Support Teacher Education; (b) Expanding Technology to Change the Face of Teacher Education: What are the Possibilities?; (c) Defining and Disseminating Alternative Delivery Systems for Teacher Education: The University Response; and (d) Defining the Role of Teacher Education In Changing Schools. Prior to the conference, participants were invited to write a …

Teacher Roles For The Twenty-First Century, James C. Onderdonk Jr.

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This dissertation employs a case study methodology to examine the perceptions of discrete groups of educational stakeholders about the roles of teachers in two temporal conditions: the present and the future. The study proceeded in two steps: a series of structured interviews and a card sort. Members of nine different groups with varying perspectives on education were interviewed to validate the selection of teacher roles to be used in the card sort and to generate new roles to include in the study. Initially roles were identified through a literature review, brainstorming with practitioners and consulting colleagues. Interviews included both focused …

Teaching Thinking Skills In The Content Area: A Workshop For Secondary School Teachers, Evelyn Ryan

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This thesis presents a curriculum for a workshop on teaching thinking skills in the content area designed for secondary school teachers. In-service time for the workshop is twenty hours. The first fifteen hours are scheduled for one week in the summer. Two follow-up sessions, each two and a half hours in length, are scheduled during the school year. The purpose of this curriculum is to establish a foundation for skillful thinking-purposeful thought that is aware not only of its objective but of its own processes. In order to accomplish this purpose the workshop has two goals. The first goal is …

The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction And Social Network Characteristics Of Elementary School Principals, Lisa R. Gentry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of social communication networks and to determine the levels of job satisfaction of public elementary school principals in Northeast Tennessee. Relationships between social communication network characteristics and job satisfaction were described. Information from the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ) and the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) was used to identify characteristics of social networks and levels of job satisfaction. Data was used to investigate relationships between social network characteristics and job satisfaction scores. Data gathered included principals' gender, age, school size, years of experience, education level, ethnicity, community setting, marital status, tenure …

Attitudes Of Elementary Principals Toward Parent Involvement In Schools In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Linda V. Brittle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the attitudes of principals toward parent involvement in schools. The population for the study consisted of all public school elementary principals in the Commonwealth of Virginia. A random sample procedure was employed and an instrument was developed specifically for the study. An initial and second mailing resulted in an overall response rate of 53%. Factor analysis identified 5 groupings in parent involvement. Factors were labeled: Decision-Making, Policy-Making, Home Tutor/Co-Learner, Socio-Economic Status, and Parent Desire and Expertise. Seven null hypotheses were formulated and tested for the study. It was found that …

No. 124 1994 November

International Journal for Business Education

SIEC Historical Documents

Koinonia, Eugene Peterson, Steve Moore, Mary Carroll Burns, Carol Sisson

Koinonia

The University as a Place of Spiritual Formation, Eugene Peterson and Steve Moore

President's Corner

Into the Future: Highlights of the 1994 ACSD National Conference

CoCCA: Community Service Finds Its Way into the Freshmen Orientation Program

Thanks for the Memories & Much More

Volume 08, Number 01, Richard F. Welch Editor

Reaching Through Teaching

Full text of Volume 08, Number 01 of Reaching Through Teaching.

Ethical Decision-Making Strategies Of Supervisors Of Psychology Interns, Judith L. Juhala

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this study was the ethical decision-making justifications of internship site supervisors regarding hypothetical supervisory dilemmas and explored the relationship between these justifications and selected demographic variables of supervisors. More specifically, supervisors' utilization of decision-making justifications of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and fidelity when asked to defend their resolutions of supervisory ethical dilemmas were examined. In addition, there was an examination of the relationship between the justifications utilized and selected demographic variables including type of educational training, gender, level of professionalization, years of experience, and type of internship site in which the supervisor was employed. Four hundred questionnaire …

Preservice Elementary Education Students’ Beliefs Regarding The Teaching And Learning Of Mathematics, Elsa L. Geskus

Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes the entering and exiting beliefs of preservice elementary education students in three domains. The domains are: (1) the nature of teaching mathematics, (2) the nature of learning mathematics, and (3) the nature of the underlying source of their success or failure in mathematics. The data collection for this study was comprised of two questionnaires. The first questionnaire with 72 items used a five point Iikert scale. The second questionnaire took 10 of the Iikert items and formatted them as an open-ended response questionnaire. Students were to respond favorably or negatively to the statements and provide support for …

Urban Teachers’ Views And Ranking Of Five Home And School Variables With Respect To Effective Teaching Of Disadvantaged Students, Loraine Constance Enniss

Dissertations

There is a range of information on effective teaching of disadvantaged students, with educators supporting either the home or school, as the variable with the greatest impact. What are the opinions of classroom teachers on this topic?

In this exploratory study, Group 1 teachers included all those who ranked the impact (on their ability to effectively teach disadvantaged students), of the home variables: parental involvement, dialects of English, socioeconomic status as 3, 4. and 5 and the school variables: teaching methodology and teacher expectations, as 1 and 2. All others were in Group 0. Scores of these two groups of …

The Perceptions Of Career Ladder I, Career Ladder Ii, And Career Ladder Iii Elementary Principals Regarding Instructional Leadership, Brenda T. Gulledge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if Career Ladder I, Career Ladder II, and Career Ladder III Tennessee Elementary Principals perceived differently their role as instructional leaders. The amount of time principals spent in six identified dimensions of instructional leadership was examined. The study examined selected independent variables, such as, grade level configuration of the school, years of experience as a principal, number of years of classroom experience, and gender for any effect on the Career Ladder I, Career Ladder II, and Career Ladder III elementary principals' perceptions of their instructional leadership role. The research design included three …

Principal And Teacher Perceptions Of School Climate Related To Value-Added Assessment And Selected School Contextual Effects In The First Tennessee District, Diann B. Casteel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem related to this study was to develop a clearer understanding of organizational climates in K-8 schools in Tennessee and the relationship that climate has to school performance, as measured through value-added assessment. The purpose of this study was to identify relationships between dimensions of school climate and student achievement as measured by mandated value-added assessment at the third grade level in Tennessee. The study attempted to determine if there was a significant difference between principal and teacher perceptions of school climate and if a relationship existed between the school climate and value-added assessment. The study also endeavored to …

The Communicator - Vol.6 No. 2 - Summer, 1994, Nova Southeastern University

The Communicator

No abstract provided.

Nsu Graduate Education Module (Gem) Program Master's And Educational Specialist Degree Programs For Teachers Summer 1994, Nova Southeastern University

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice College Archive

No abstract provided.

Nsu Graduate Education Module (Gem) Program Master's And Educational Specialist Degree Programs For Teachers Summer 1994, Nova Southeastern University

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice College Archive

No abstract provided.