Examining Teacher Leadership: Phenomenology Of The Perceived Challenges Of Being A Teacher Leader, Noelle H. Green

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning Infographics

Today’s school leaders recognize that one person, mainly the principal, cannot adequately address the needs of all members of the school community. Many principals rely on teacher leaders to lead alongside them to further school improvement, knowing that the traditional way of thinking of school leadership as being the sole role of the principal is no longer effective or efficient. While K-12 teachers typically have a strong background in child development, psychology, and pedagogy, many lack experience in leading and facilitating adults and have little background in adult learning theory.

The purpose of this research is to determine how K-12 …

The Effects Of A Shared Vision Of Teacher Leadership On Classroom Teachers’ Instruction, Tiffany L. Bockelmann

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning Infographics

Many models of instructional teacher leadership exist in schools with various outcomes for teachers. The aim of this illustrative case study was to understand systemic alignment in a formal teacher leadership system and how this alignment impacted instructional change. This dissertation was framed by three research questions: 1) How do the rationales of teachers, teacher leaders, and administrators regarding teacher leadership in their school align? 2) How does the coherence of a system of leadership impact classroom teachers’ abilities to engage with formal teacher leaders? 3) How does the coherence of a system of leadership impact classroom teachers’ abilities to …

Narrative Inquiry In Practice: A Study Identifying Themes Of Persistence And Barriers In The Educational Journeys Of American Indian Students In Higher Education, Kristina Cirks

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Increasing in popularity, the use of narrative inquiry in qualitative research study offers a unique perspective and context in sharing lived experiences. This article utilizes a narrative inquiry study to improve the knowledge of why American Indian students have the lowest college graduation rates in the United States. These narratives helped define the barriers that have discouraged American Indian students from persisting in higher education. Predominantly, participants identified the lack of financial support, lack of cultural competency, emotional distress, time poverty, afraid to ask for help, afraid to succeed, and navigating through the college processes as barriers to their educational …

Designing Effective Online Courses: Exploring The Relationships Amongst Online Teaching Self-Efficacy, Professional Development, Online Teaching Experience, And Reported Implementation Of Effective Higher Education Online Course Design Practices, Elizabeth Mcmahon

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How best to prepare and support higher education faculty to design and teach effective online courses is a topic of great significance to higher education institutional leaders and faculty developers. This study explored how hours of professional development along with online teaching and learning experiences were related to online teaching self-efficacy and the extent to which participants reported implementation of effective online course design practices. Using a non-experimental quantitative correlational explanatory research study design, data were collected using a questionnaire. Participants included 104 online faculty from a large public higher education system located in the upper Midwest that includes both …

The Effect Of Visual Arts On At-Risk Students, Nicole E. Seidler

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Creation through visual art is demonstrated by a variety of all ages. Visual art-based learning is known to build focus, reduce stress, provide a sense of accomplishment, and spark an increase in well-being. Many people have been known to benefit from the creation of art. With the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020, educators across the country have noticed an increase of students who are considered at-risk. Many school districts have made it a priority to look at ways of improving these students’ behavior, participation, view on school, or overall well-being. This research study takes place at a rural Wisconsin high …

Ethnographic Research Of The Impact Of Catalyst Strategies On The Engagement And Relationships Within The Classroom For 6th Graders Versus 2nd Graders In General Education, Casey Poland, Rene Beaird, Amber Keller, Sara Kubicek

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This 2023 study focused on the effectiveness of the Catalyst Approach to classroom management in a second-grade versus sixth-grade classrooms in the same district. The Catalyst Approach is a comprehensive classroom implementation model that includes strategies for getting attention, engaging students, setting up for success, and supporting success. Whole group strategies are emphasized in this approach to aid in building a productive classroom environment (Burns & Brinkman, 2018). Our focus with this study was threefold: to see how the Catalyst Approach affected classroom management, how the Catalyst Approach affected relationships within the classroom environment, and how the Catalyst Approach compared …

An Analysis Of How Teaching Through Invention And Consolidation Phases Affects High School Students’ Understanding Of Algebraic Concepts And Beliefs About Mathematics, Cally Simanski

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This quantitative study used a pretest and posttest quasi-experimental design to investigate how students’ understanding of algebraic concepts compared when they were taught using invention and consolidation phases or traditional direct instruction. It also explored how students’ beliefs and attitudes toward mathematics were affected by learning through invention and consolidation phases through a survey with a Likert scale. The study took place during the 2022-2023 academic year in the Intermediate Algebra II course at a mid-size public high school in Minnesota. The researcher had two sections of the course and taught one through direct instruction and the other through invention …

Online Education In The Age Of Social Media Influencers: Applying Net Promoter Scores To Asynchronous Online Delivery, Scott Sandok

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Online students are mobile and networked and expect quality online classes. Dissatisfied online students’ educational choices are not limited to institutions with their geographical region. The ability of students to disseminate information about dissatisfactory educational experiences to potential student enrollees has increased with the growth of social media. Organizations wishing to use online enrollment as a growth mechanism or offset physical enrollment decreases need tools to understand their perceived market value and quality. A frequently used tool for consumer satisfaction, the Net Promoter Score (NPS), has rarely been applied to academia. This article highlights the application of NPS to online …

Demystifying The Qualitative Coding Process: Insights From A Rookie, Scott Sandok

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

The coding process is mysterious and terrifying for those new to qualitative methods. The existing guides are either highly theoretical and abstract or incredibly detailed and nuanced. Subjectivity and flexibility, strengths of qualitative coding, are challenging for those new to the process. This article is intended for the new researcher who desires coding examples and the intuition associated with each decision. Offering details on subjective decisions encountered by a rookie researcher moves away from abstract theoretical examples to practical applications and decisions that need to be made by the qualitative researcher.

Impacts Of Education Reform On Teacher Attraction And Retention, Carl Bryan

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

No abstract provided.

Impacting Student Self-Efficacy In English/Language Arts: Using Student-Generated Questions In Small Group Discussions, Heather Johnson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Student engagement in the classroom can be a struggle for many teachers. Research shows that student engagement can be impacted by student self-efficacy in the classroom, and student engagement increases when participating in small group discussions and inquiry-based activities. This qualitative study aimed to understand the impact using student-generated questions in small group discussions had on student self-efficacy in the high school English/language arts classroom. A survey was created and given to 21 twelfth-grade student participants prior to and after using student-generated questions in three separate small group discussions in an elective English/language arts class. Qualitative data were also collected …

A Comparison Of Two Approaches To Promote Multiplication Fact Fluency In Fifth Grade, Jordyn Berger

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Fifth grade students are expected to be fluent in basic multiplication facts by the start of fifth grade, however many are not (Minnesota Department of Education, 2007). When fifth grade students are not fluent in basic multiplication facts, they struggle to understand and master grade level skills and standards (Allen-Lyall, 2018; Burns et al., 2012; Ok & Bryant, 2016; The Math Learning Center, 2017; Wong & Evans, 2007). This quantitative research study compared two classwide approaches to promote multiplication fact fluency in fifth grade. Throughout the research phase, one fifth grade math class practiced multiplication facts for ten minutes each …

The Effectiveness Of Using Phonics Instruction And Interventions In Elementary Classrooms, Brittany Kasprick

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Nationwide students have struggled to achieve reading proficiency as measured by standardized tests. Reading is a critical tool for academic success. Lack of reading skills and strategies may contribute to difficulty in several aspects of academic life for students. Research has shown that phonics skills play a crucial part in determining if a student will achieve independent readership. Phonics skills may be foundational building blocks upon which students can develop further reading skills, culminating in independent readership, particularly in early elementary school. Daily phonics interventions may help improve a student’s performance in reading. The focus of this particular, quantitative study …

How Doctoral Students In A Formal Leadership Program Conceptualize Followership: A Mixed-Methods Study, Katy J. Johnson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this exploratory mixed-methods study was to determine how doctoral students in a formal leadership program conceptualize followership. The methods used to conduct this analysis included distributing a Qualtrics (released in August 2022) survey and conducting one-on-one interviews with a sample of degree-seeking doctoral students within a formal leadership program. The researcher collected quantitative and qualitative data addressing students’ followership style, leadership attitudes and beliefs, and perceptions of followership. These data were analyzed concurrently using a triangulation design. A total of 67 students completed the survey, and seven students were interviewed. The findings revealed that the participants employ …

The Effectiveness Of Explicit Literacy Instruction On Kindergarten And First-Grade Student’S Decoding Abilities, Megan Parenteau, Monica Parenteau, Stacy Olson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

There is a growing concern among educators regarding how children best develop early literacy skills. Due to this educational concern, the purpose of this study was to investigate and build a better understanding of how explicit and systematic phonics, phonemic, and phonological awareness instruction impact kindergarten and first-grade student’s ability to decode text. Participants of the study included students currently enrolled in the researcher’s kindergarten and first-grade classrooms within two elementary schools consisting of 54 students. The researchers modeled and taught literacy skills and concepts on a daily basis with all students using explicit and systematic literacy instruction. The research …

The Effects Of Social-Emotional Learning, Classroom Relationships, And Collaborative Learning On Students’ Emotional Intelligence And Academic Achievement, Slade Simpson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Within educational settings, people are quick to blame intellectual development, or a lack thereof, for students’ shortcomings. However, in recent years, there has been a significant increase in issues related to students’ mental health and emotional well-being that have been detrimental to their academic progress. This quasi-experimental study investigated whether or not development of emotional intelligence through the use of social-emotional learning, relationship development, and collaborative learning has a positive impact on a students’ academic achievement. The results of this study were used to help determine if an educational focus on emotional intelligence can provide a viable option to combat …

The Effectiveness Of Explicit Literacy Instruction On Kindergarten And First-Grade Student’S Decoding Abilities, Monica Parenteau, Megan Parenteau, Stacy Olson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

There is a growing concern among educators regarding how children best develop early literacy skills. Due to this educational concern, the purpose of this study was to investigate and build a better understanding of how explicit and systematic phonics, phonemic, and phonological awareness instruction impact kindergarten and first-grade student’s ability to decode text. Participants of the study included students currently enrolled in the researcher’s kindergarten and first-grade classrooms within two elementary schools consisting of 54 students. The researchers modeled and taught literacy skills and concepts on a daily basis with all students using explicit and systematic literacy instruction. The research …

Using Student Goal Setting And Individual Student Conferences To Increase Academic Achievement In Mathematics, Amanda R. Mcnamee

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on an elementary school in the Midwest region of the United States; this community serves as a regional center of education, commerce, and health care. Participants in this study are a classroom of 17 fifth grade students; 35% girls and 65% boys. The school district in this study recently adopted a new mathematics curriculum, Bridges. In using this new mathematics curriculum, the teachers have noticed that many of the fifth-grade students are consistently scoring in the red on the assessments. This research study will investigate whether implementing goal setting and individual student conference sessions will …

First Generation Preservice Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Regarding The Teaching Of Diverse Students And The Incorporation Of Diverse Topics Into Classroom Content, Roberto Ch. Nava, Peter M. Vigil, Jan P. Evenstad

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

The purpose for this study was to examine whether there is a difference in self-efficacy between first generation and non-first generation preservice teachers to address the teaching of diverse PK-12 students. Bandura’s (1997) concept of self-efficacy was employed as a framework to understand the results of the study. A cross-sectional design was used to analyze a self-efficacy survey that was administered to first generation and non-first generation preservice teachers. A total of 55 preservice teachers nearing completion of their teacher preparation at one university participated. The data demonstrates statistically significant differences of unequal self-efficacy development between first generation and non-first …

A Book Review Of The Nexus Of Teaching And Demographics: Context And Connections From Colonial Times To Today, Kristen Carlson

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

See Book Review.