Education Commons^™

Teacher Perceptions And Implementation Of A Content-Area Literacy Professional Development Program, Osha Lynette Smith, Rebecca Robinson

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The Common Core State Standards recommend that all educators equip students with the literacy skills needed for college and careers. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine middle-level content-area teachers’ perspectives on a district-led literacy professional development program and their implementation of the literacy strategies they learned. The conceptual framework included Bruner’s constructivist, Bandura’s self-efficacy, and Knowles’s andragogy theories. These theories informed the investigation of adult learners’ perspectives regarding the way they learn and gain confidence in providing literacy instruction. Eleven English, math, science, and social studies teachers participated in the study through individual interviews. Data were …

Middle School Teachers’ Experiences Implementing The Workshop Model In Their Classroom, Patience Ndidi Onyegwara

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

Due to the increasing diversity in U.S. schools, there is a need for differentiated and individualized educational models for these learners to be successful in the future. However, little is known about innovative educational models allowing differentiation and individualized education. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand the experiences and perceptions of middle school teachers implementing the innovative Workshop Model (WSM) of teaching and learning. The conceptual framework for this study included the diffusion of innovation, sociocultural, and andragogical theories, and the principles of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). The participants were 10 middle school teachers …

Fidelity Of Implementation Of Arts Integration In Middle School English Language Arts, Barbara A. Sanders

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An urban middle school in the southern U.S. introduced an arts integration (AI) program, however, student achievement in the English language arts (ELA) has not improved. Therefore, the problem to be investigated through this study is that it has not been determined if AI was implemented into ELA classrooms with fidelity. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ and administrators’ perceptions of the fidelity of implementation (FOI) of the AI program in the ELA classrooms, as well as school documents and artifacts, to determine whether the delivery of instruction replicated the original instructional design. Guided by Rogers’s FOI …

Teacher Perspectives Of Project-Based Learning Implementation In Middle-Grade Classrooms, Lyndria Regina Bland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers at a middle school in a Southeastern U.S. state were not implementing project-based learning (PBL) as mandated by the district. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the perspectives of teachers concerning PBL implementation and how their self-efficacy shaped their perspectives. Bandura’s self-efficacy theory provided the framework for the study. Data were collected through interviews with 11 participants and examination of PBL artifacts. Data were analyzed using thematic, open and axial coding to discover patterns and themes. Findings indicated that teachers shaped their perspectives regarding PBL through their experiences while implementing PBL, collaboration among teachers is …

Evaluation Of An Afterschool Mentorship Program For Self-Efficacy, Atia D. Mark, Steve Wells

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Middle school students in Nova Scotia, Canada, are perceived to have low self-efficacy for achieving learning outcomes. While strong self-efficacy beliefs, developed through effective curricula, have been linked to improved academic performance, there is a need for formal evaluation of such curricula. The purpose of this study was to investigate a 10-week afterschool mentorship curriculum that has never been evaluated. The aim of the curriculum is to strengthen self-efficacy beliefs via relationship building exercises, public speaking training, and character education. Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, which states that treatment influences can alter the strength of self-efficacy, informed the conceptual framework. Evaluation …