Digital Commons Network^™

A Case Study Of Collaboration Between General Education Teachers And Special Education Teachers In A Southern Rural High School, Oassie Jean Daniels

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was framed around issues associated with the inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom as these issues related to teacher collaboration. Specifically, the problem on which this study focused was that according to the principal at the research site, the general education teachers and special education teacher needed to collaborate more successfully in order to be more helpful to the students. The purpose of this case study was twofold. First, the researcher wished to determine how and to what extent collaboration practices occurred between general education teachers and special education teachers in a southern …

The Effect Of A Professional Development Model On Early Childhood Educators’ Direct Teaching Of Beginning Reading, Gemma E. Scarparolo, Lorraine S. Hammond

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Research over the last 15 years has reported that for professional development to be effective, in terms of changing teachers’ knowledge and/or instructional strategies, it needs to be conducted taking into consideration the following factors: teachers’ existing knowledge, experience and attitudes towards the professional development, school administrative factors, opportunities for classroom-based follow-up and gathering data concerning student achievement to measure the impact or effectiveness of the professional development. These factors were all carefully considered when creating, planning and implementing the professional development model for this study. The results indicate that an evidence-based professional development model which included a workshop, classroom …

Evaluating The Attitudes Of Preservice Teachers Toward Multicultural Competence, Angela D. Marshall

Theses and Dissertations

Changes in the ethnicity of the student population across the nation necessitated a change in teacher education curricula. This explanatory, sequential, mixed-method study examined how a group of preservice teachers viewed the importance of multicultural competence before and after student teaching. Specifically, an evaluation of preservice teachers’ attitudes about their own multicultural preparedness was made prior to and after being given full responsibility for an ethnically diverse classroom.

The study employed quantitative and qualitative measures to assess preservice teachers’ levels of multicultural competence as well as their awareness of self-perceptions of multicultural competence that contribute to attitudes toward teaching an …

French Speaking Students' Challenges In Academic Literacy At International University Of Grand-Bassam, Cote D'Ivoire, Laurent Bassa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

International University of Grand-Bassam (IUGB) first opened its doors in Cote d'Ivoire, in a sociocultural context where a significant number of freshmen students were French speakers. Because the instructional language was English, students were faced with a language barrier that triggered more issues including difficulties in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The purpose of this study was to uncover French speaking students' challenges in academic literacy at IUGB and to suggest some solutions that would benefit students and instructors. The research questions focused on faculty members' perceptions of French speaking students' challenges in academic literacy, and their suggestions for improving …

Teacher Preparation For Linguistically Rich Classrooms : A Qualitative Study Of Take-Up In Relation To Linguistically Responsive Teaching, Melissa A. Collucci

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study followed four urban early childhood teachers through their participation in a teacher education program designed to enhance their linguistically responsive teaching and into the first four months of the new school year in an effort to identify what the teachers indeed “took up” from the opportunities presented to them regarding linguistically responsive teaching. The sociocultural concept of funds of knowledge was used to frame this study and to ensure that each teacher’s work was analyzed with the understanding that individuals bring to each learning moment unique knowledge and knowhow that impacts learning and practice. All was undertaken …

Teachers' Perceptions On English Language Arts Proficiency Of English Learners, Elaine Michelle Nelson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

English learners (ELs) at a middle school in California were not meeting federal accountability requirements in English language arts (ELA). ELs lacking proficiency in ELA often drop out of high school and live in poverty as adults. The purpose of the study was to examine teachers' perceptions of their self-efficacy to implement effective pedagogical strategies to help ELs develop ELA proficiency. A case study design was used to investigate the problem through the lens of second language acquisition theory. The purposeful sample included 11 middle school language arts teachers. Participants completed an online anonymous survey, and responses were analyzed using …

Impact Of Audio Feedback Technology On Writing Instruction, Martha Marie Bless

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High school writing teacher self-efficacy has suffered because the workload and emotional energy of grading papers is arduous, and despite their efforts to provide formative written feedback, many teachers believe students ignore or misunderstand it. Although audio feedback holds promise for improving the clarity of instructor feedback and the self-efficacy of writing instructors in higher education, its usefulness for improving high school teacher self-efficacy has remained unexplored. This multiple case study investigated how high school teachers believed Kaizena, a digital audio feedback technology, influenced their writing instruction and self-efficacy. Participants, who were drawn from the global Kaizena user base, included …

Los Recién Llegados: Construyendo Collaborative Relationships Between Recently Arrived Salvadoran Parents And Educators In The Nation's Capital, Ingrid Tamara Colon

Dissertations

This qualitative study explored recently arrived Salvadoran parents in Washington, D.C. The primary purpose of this dissertation was to learn the perspectives that recently arrived Salvadoran parents have about their children's education to build and sustain collaborative relationships in schools. This study holds implications for schools, school administrators, teachers, teacher preparation programs, policy makers, and educational researchers serving recently arrived Salvadoran immigrants. Specifically, this dissertation calls for educators and stakeholders to directly learn from recently arrived Salvadoran parents to identify and address the unique needs of their children in U.S. schools.

This dissertation examined the following question: What perspectives do …

Impact Of Childcare Center Programs On Reading Achievement Of English Language Learner Students, Valerie Keil

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some children struggle to learn the academic skill of reading. Providing effective assistance to struggling students, especially to English Language Learners (ELLs), can be a challenge for teachers. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of childcare programs on the reading achievement of ELLs in kindergarten and first grade. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory along with developmentally appropriate practices constituted the theoretical framework. The overarching research question examined differences in overall reading achievement of ELLs based on the completion of formal childcare programs. A causal-comparative design was used with a cluster sample drawn from a United States federal database …

Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Perspectives On Instructional Practices, Cindy Ziegler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a local middle school, students were not meeting standards on the state mathematics tests. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore mathematics teachers' perspectives on effective mathematics instruction vis-Ã -vis the principles of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Within this framework, the 6 principles in the creation of quality mathematics programs included equity, curriculum, teaching, learning, assessment, and technology. Seven teachers from around the country participated; all met the criteria of a graduate degree in education, at least 5 years of experience teaching adolescent learners, and at least 3 years teaching mathematics. Participants were …

Understanding The Importance Of Culturally Appropriate Patient-Provider Communication In Diabetes Self-Management, Anita Mwalui

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29.1 million people in the United States have diabetes. Among those 29.1 million people, 21 million have been diagnosed, but 8.1 million have not. Changing demographics in the United States and the prevalence of diabetes are projected to be burdens on the health care system through 2050. Guided by the social cognitive theory, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the importance of culturally appropriate patient-provider communication to the self-management of Type 2 diabetes by patients who are African immigrants. Culturally based health care has unique challenges when …

Happily Ever Resilient: A Content Analysis Of Themes Of Resilience In Fairytales, Stephanie Goloway

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One in 4 children in the United States lives in a family impacted by the chronic, heritable disease of substance use disorder (SUD), also known as alcoholism or addiction. Recent research has demonstrated that resilience is a key protective factor against developing the disease in adolescence and adulthood and that the neurological roots of resilience lie in the child's experiences in early childhood. In spite of this, few resources related to family SUD or current models of resilience are included in preservice teacher preparation for early childhood educators. This study examined whether key components of Masten's model of resilience are …

Cultural Sensitivity In The Performance-Based Learning Environment, Monique Matleen Hazzard-Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Georgia Department of Education requires students to earn 4 course credits in the area of mathematics in order to graduate from high school. Academic success for mathematics students in a school district in southern Georgia has been encumbered because teachers lack cultural competency in mathematics instruction, which has hindered minority students from developing reasoning, critical analysis, and problem-solving skills needed to earn these required math credits. The purpose of this project study was to examine teachers' perceptions of using culturally relevant teaching strategies to influence the academic performance of minority students in the mathematics classroom. The conceptual framework was …

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions Of Practices And Professional Development For Differentiating Mathematics Instruction, Sandra Mujagic Varajic

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers and administrators in a Title I elementary school in a southeastern state are concerned that there has been a trend over the past 3 years of declining standardized assessment scores in mathematics for students in Grades 3, 4, and 5. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore teachers' perceptions of practices, and professional development (PD) for differentiating mathematics instruction. This study was grounded in the conceptual framework of Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and Tomlinson's differentiated instruction (DI). Purposeful sampling was used to select 8 teachers and 1 mathematics coach, who worked with students in Grades …

Classroom Approaches And Japanese College Students' Intercultural Competence, Joan Elizabeth Gilbert

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Preparing college students to be contributing members of local and global societies requires educators to analyze the capabilities and needs of their students and to adjust instructional content and practice. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was twofold: (a) to explore how classroom approaches designed to facilitate students' questioning of assumptions and beliefs regarding different cultural beliefs, social structures, and practices might influence Japanese college students' self-reported development of intercultural competence, and (b) to investigate whether or not the students developed their potential for intercultural competence. Mezirow's transformative learning theory informed this study. Archival qualitative data were from 137 Japanese …

Expatriate Students' Perceptions Of Attendance And Persistence At A Private Malaysian Institution, Jin Deng

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although Malaysia primarily relies on expatriates to develop its economy, a private Malaysian institution had not examined the retention of expatriate students who might contribute toward the country's future economy. The problem that prompted this study was the institution showed low graduation rates for expatriate students and had not assessed the perceptions of key factors that impacted their attendance and persistence. The purpose of this study was to provide insights about expatriate students' perceptions of key factors about attendance and persistence at the institution. Tinto's longitudinal model of dropping out and the conceptual model guided this study. With a guiding …

Intermediate Teachers' Perceptions Of Reading Instruction Strategies And Professional Development Needs, Barbara Jean Joyner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 1 urban Tennessee school, students in Grades 3 through 5 had not met adequate yearly progress in reading for the past 5 years. The purpose of this case study was to explore teachers' perceptions of current district-recommended teaching practice in reading. The research questions related to current instructional strategies, teaching practices, challenges, and perceptions of current instructional strategies and changes needed to improve students' reading achievement. This study was grounded in the constructivist theoretical framework of Vygotsky. Twelve educators from Grades 3 through 5 and a reading specialist participated in this study. The data were collected from interviews, minutes …

Elementary Instructional Best Practices For English As Secondary Language Teachers, Terrance Michael Bigley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A trending national concern is the increasing number of English language learners (ELL) who are being reclassified as long-term English language learners (LTELL) instead of progressing to the general education classroom. This trend is a local problem for the study elementary schools. Guided by sociocultural learning theory that outlined ESL best instructional practices, the purpose of this case study was to examine the instructional practices of elementary ESL teachers. Ten ESL teachers from each grade level from 1st to 5th grades were interviewed and observed. Analysis and organization of the data through its transcription and coding led to the emergence …

Technology Integration By General Education Teachers Of English Language Learners, Marie Simone Anglin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a growing population of English language learners (ELLs) in elementary schools across the United States, and a current academic achievement gap between ELLs and non-ELLs. Researchers have found that integration of Web 2.0 tools has benefitted ELLs in language learning settings, outside of the general classroom. The research problem addressed in this study, based on TPACK, explored general education teachers' experiences with integrating Web 2.0 technology to support academic language acquisition by ELLs and revealed the successes and challenges the teachers encountered. The 6 female participants in this qualitative interview study were required to have experience (a) as …

Living And Teaching For Social Justice: Teacher Educators' Stories And Experiences, Courtney Kay Clausen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the United States, the population of students’ with diverse racial/ethnic, linguistic, and economic backgrounds is on the rise, while teachers entering the field of education continue to be White or of European decent, monolingual, and female. These experiential differences between students and teachers can result in a demographic gap, where teachers struggle to meet the needs of all learners due to misperceptions, stereotypical beliefs, and biases. Educational scholars have called for the integration of social justice education into teacher preparation programs in order to assist preservice teachers in challenging their perceptions of students, to challenge the existing inequitable educational …

A Value-Based Case Study To Increasing Community Mentoring In Stem For Hispanic Students, Gilberto Moreno

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This case study investigates the implementation of a unique community-driven mentoring pilot program (PASOS2) forging stronger community and K-12 partnerships. Focused on surfacing what matters most in engaging community mentors, this case study explores a civic organization'?s quest to impact, expand, and bring value via mentoring to Hispanic students' pursuit of post-secondary studies with emphasis in STEM careers. A major stumbling block faced by many underprivileged students is the lack of mentorship vital to expanding their social capital support system. This innovative mentoring approach provides students with critical access to STEM community empowerment agents supporting aspiring students' dreams.

Analytical methods …

Shifting Pedagogy For Adolescent Refugees With Limited Or Interrupted Formal Education: A Case Study Of The Professional Experiences Of A Secondary English Literacy Development Teacher, Stephanie Ledger

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In recent years, there has been a large influx of refugees into settlement countries worldwide. In Canada, this displaced population includes many adolescent students of limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE). Consequently, secondary school teachers are challenged to meet the print literacy needs of SLIFE within traditional ESL instructional settings.

The literature reveals an urgent desire and need for the use of early literacy instructional practices to address the print literacy needs of SLIFE. Despite this acknowledgement, many ESL/ELD secondary school educators are reluctant to shift their pedagogy from traditional ESL to early literacy pedagogy (Dooley, 2009; Dooley & Thangaperumal, …

Using Dif To Monitor Equivalence Of Translated Tests In Large Scale Assessments: A Comparison Of Native Speakers In Their Primary And The Test’S Source Language, Jorge Carvajal Espinoza

TAPESTRY

This study utilized a Differential Item Functioning (DIF) methodology for examining translated tests wherein all the examinees have the same native language -the target language of the translation- in order to provide information about the psychometric equivalence of the original and translated versions of the tests at item level. This study has also found possible explanations for translation DIF in certain types of items.

Language Policy And The Preparedness Of Mainstream Teachers For Serving Els In K-12 Classrooms, Laureen A. Fregeau, Robert D. Leier

TAPESTRY

English language learners (ELs) numbers are increasing steadily in classrooms across the United States. Some southeastern states have seen more than a 200% EL student increase in recent years (Migration Policy Institute, 2010). Since the inception of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and especially since Title I “flexibility” revisions, responsibility for educating ELs has shifted from ESOL and bilingual teachers to primarily mainstream teachers. States that have opted out of NCLB under flexibility revisions are no longer as accountable to the U. S. Department of Education for the education of ELs. States and school districts are no longer required to …

Book Review, Nooshan Ashtari

TAPESTRY

Text: Nutta, J. W., Mokhtari, K., & Strebel, C. (2012). Preparing every teacher to reach English learners. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

An Esol Curricular Model: Infuse Esol Standards In Teacher Education, Deborah L. Wheeler, Jane M. Govoni

TAPESTRY

Florida approved teacher preparation programs provide coursework in English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) based on a mandate that began for graduates in 2004; however, there are few studies on the effects of an ESOL integrated model. The data show that an ESOL-infused program effectively prepares teacher candidates in demonstrating ESOL standards. The data were applied to a Likert scale and the results revealed that the program ranked between the ranges of average and exceeds expectations. The results will foster further research on a larger scale on ways to effectively prepare teacher candidates to work with English learners (ELs).

Accommodations And English Learners: Inconsistencies In Policies And Practice, Florin M. Mihai, N. Eleni Pappamihiel

TAPESTRY

This article outlines the results of a survey of all the large-scale testing accommodations used with English learners across the United States, addressing the increasing challenge of integrating this population into a state’s accountability system in a valid and reliable manner. This examination of accommodation policies used in standardized content area assessments reveals that there is little consistency across states with regard to testing accommodations for ELs in providing accommodations when ELs are tested in academic content areas.

Book Review, Joe Terantino, Susanne Kelley

TAPESTRY

Stanley, G. (2013). Language learning with technology: Ideas for integrating technology in the classroom. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Cambridge University Press.

Literacy In Our Lives, Past, Present And Future: Exploring Digital Stories By Uae Pre-Service Teachers, Patience A. Sowa

TAPESTRY

The purpose of this research study was to examine how pre-service teachers in a college of education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) used multimodal digital storytelling to explore their language and literacy learning experiences in Arabic and English. Twenty-one pre-service teachers participated in this qualitative study. Drawing on the digital stories, reflection papers and open-ended surveys as data, the study explored the pre-service teachers’ bilingual literacy language experiences and how they created their digital stories. Emerging themes included early experiences in language and literacy learning at home and at school, and expanded notions of literacy. The memoirs offered a …

Toward Integrative Call: A Progressive Outlook On The History, Trends, And Issues Of Call, Kasumi Yamazaki

TAPESTRY

With the advancement of technology now allowing complex and intricate simulation gaming and virtual reality (VR), current trends and issues in language learning extend their research on the topic of digital literacy, aiming to find the ways in which the use of technology fosters, or perhaps hinders, overall performance of language learning. While there have been many published articles that claim the successful utilization of technology and digital media into the classroom, there are considerably few that deliver a successful integration of theory into practice. To address this issue, this paper provides a historical review of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), …