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The Power Of Reflection: Understanding The Impacts Made Upon Employees Who Have Managers Who Reflect On Their Professional Development, Ryan Heath Jordan

Business Administration Dissertations

No matter the level, managers who reflect on their professional development will impact their careers in various ways. But what impact can this same reflection have on those individuals who are led by those managers? It is widely known in the literature that professional development reflections can have positive effects on one’s career. With that knowledge, it is intended to drill down into this concept to help identify how a manager’s professional development reflection can have the same impact on their employees. The impact of managers’ professional development reflection on their employee’s increased interest in career development, improved job performance, …

A Phenomenological Case Study Of Pakistani Science Teachers' Experiences Of Professional Development, Azhar Qureshi

Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations

Effective teacher development is significant for any educational system to remain competitive in the global arena (Bayar, 2014). However, science teachers’ professional development activities have often been found to be ineffective (Opfer & Pedder, 2011). Science teachers also minimally participate in such activities due to their ineffective experiences (Chval, Abell, Pareja, Musikul & Ritzka, 2007). Understanding how science teachers’ experiences are constructed is also crucial to create programs to meet their needs (Schneider & Plasman, 2011). It is essential in the construction of professional development experiences to recognize who is being served in professional development (Saka, 2013). But rigorous methods …

Effects Of Professional Development And Virtual Teacher Coaching With Videoconferencing On The Increase Of Teacher Given Opportunities To Respond And The On-Task Behavior Of Students With Emotional/Behavior Disorders, Millicent L. Carmouche

Communication Sciences and Disorders Dissertations

Coaching has been identified as a critical support for persistent use of newly adopted practices and skills (Joyce & Showers, 1982). A systematic review of the literature was conducted to examine the literature base on supervisory coaching, an approach in which an outside expert or supervisor gives specific, positive, and corrective coaching when needed and is offered to the teacher after the completion of the observed lesson in an effort to move the recipient toward a desired level of performance (Joyce & Showers, 1981; 1982; Maeda, 2001; Simonsen, Myers, & DeLuca, 2010). Sixteen quasi-experimental and single-subject studies were identified and …

Changing Perceptions: Six Third Grade Teachers’ Experiences Integrating Economics With Book Clubs, Sandra Cronin

Early Childhood and Elementary Education Dissertations

Due to the demands of federal legislation, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in particular, social studies instruction has become increasingly marginalized in elementary classrooms (Bollick, Adams, & Willox, 2010; Heafner, Lipscomb, & Fitchett, 2014; Holloway & Chiodo, 2009; Jones & Thomas, 2006; Morton & Dalton, 2007). One possible solution to this problem is to integrate social studies and reading instruction. This qualitative case study examined six third grade teachers’ perceptions of and experiences with social studies and reading as they attempted to integrate the two subjects through the use of economics book clubs in their classrooms over six …

Evolution Of Teacher Leadership: The Influence Of Leadership Professional Development Opportunities On Teacher Leaders? Perceptions Of Their Leadership Characteristics, Professional Vision, And Professional Identity, Tugce Gul

Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations

The importance of teacher leadership has received intense interest as an area of educational research over the past three decades (Crowther, Kaagan, Ferguson & Hann, 2002; Harris, 2003; Lambert, 2002; Marks & Printy, 2003). Most of this research has focused on the qualifications, impacts, and development of teacher leadership (Smylie & Mayrowetz, 2009). This study aimed to broaden the scope of research to include science teachers’ interaction with leadership practices in the course of a leadership development program that includes both their own professional development (PD) and leadership of teacher-driven professional development (TDPD). The study considered professional vision and identity …

Retention Of Accomplished Veteran Social Studies Teachers, Russell Hardin

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

RETENTION OF ACCOMPLISHED VETERAN SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS

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Russell Brett Hardin

Almost 30 percent of new teachers flee the profession after just three years, and more than 40 percent leave after 5 years (Allen, 2005). Studies conducted by Borman and Dowling (2008), Guarino et al. (2006) and Ingersoll and Smith (2003) indicate that teacher attrition rates are also high in the later years of teaching careers. While these rates of attrition reflect both public and private school teachers, numerous studies have found that private schools see higher attrition rates, potentially damaging an independent school’s ability to fulfill its stated mission …

The Study Of Literacy Coaching Observations And Interviews With Elementary Teachers, Rhonda S. Hayes

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the coaching interactions of two literacy coaches and four classroom teachers in order to explore how these interactions serve to support teacher learning. The analysis of the study describes how the coaches support teacher reflection and teaching for processing strategies during guided reading lessons. The literature review suggests that reflective practice (Schön, 1996) involves thoughtfully considering one’s own experiences while being coached by a professional in the discipline. I conducted observations and interviews for two cycles of teaching and coaching sessions per teacher coach dyad, for a total of eight guided reading …

Investigating The Experience: A Case Study Of A Science Professional Development Program Based On Kolb's Experiential Learning Model, Brian Davis

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Professional development for educators has been defined as the process or processes by which teachers achieve higher levels of professional competence and expand their understanding of self, role, context and career (Duke and Stiggins, 1990). Currently, there is limited research literature that examines the effect a professional development course, which uses David Kolb’s experiential learning model, has on the professional growth and teaching practice of middle school science teachers. The purpose of this interpretive case study is to investigate how three science teachers who participated in the Rivers to Reef professional development course interpreted the learning experience and integrated the …

High School Language Arts Teachers' Experiences With Integrating Technology After Participating In A State-Mandated Technology Professional Development Course, Stacy Rae Byous

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

Georgia has invested millions of dollars for technology and teacher technology training in order to prepare students for a technological society (Brackett, Henry, & Weathersby, 1999; Hinton, 2003). While technology affects all teachers, language arts teachers are also challenged to teach multiple literacies (Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, & Cammack, 2004). This study investigated the extent that professional development programs impact the language arts teachers’ classroom practice (Bebell, Russell, & O’Dwyer, 2004; Young & Bush, 2004). This case study research explored three high school language arts teachers’ experiences with integrating technology after having participated in a state-mandated professional development course on technology. …

Integration Of Instructional Technology By University Lecturers In Secondary School Teacher Education Programs In Zimbabwe: An Exploratory Study, Rodwell Chitiyo

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

In the context of continuous innovations in information and communication technology (ICT) and its impact on higher education, this descriptive study explores the state of instructional technology (IT) integration by university lecturers in pre-service secondary school teacher education programs in Zimbabwe. Specifically, the study examines how the lecturers conceptualize IT integration, how they integrate IT into their instruction, the support given by their institutions, and the constraints they face. The qualitative methodology used is basic or generic in nature (Merriam, 1998). Twenty-one lecturers in the colleges of education at 3 universities participated. The 3 data collection methods used are questionnaires, …