Education Commons^™

Evaluating An Integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math/Computational Thinking Professional Development Program For Elementary Level Paraprofessional Educators, Aubrey A. Rogowski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

For my dissertation, I looked at a training program one Utah school district used to teach paraprofessional educators science, technology, engineering, math, and computational thinking. Specifically, the program taught them about what computational thinking is and how they could use it when teaching science, technology, engineering, and math to students from kindergarten to sixth grade. While reviewing this program, I evaluated 1) The experiences the paraprofessionals had with the program, 2) Whether the paraprofessionals understood computational thinking, and 3) Whether the program prepared them to teach computational thinking to K-6 students.

I worked with eight paraprofessionals who participated in this …

Differentiated Instruction: A Qualitative Study Focusing On The Voices Of Elementary Teachers And Their Needs, Suzanne S. Fanelle

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This qualitative study examined teachers’ perspectives about their implementation of differentiated instruction in an effort to support district-led professional development programming. Differentiated instruction is based on well-considered goals and thorough analysis of students’ achievement, progress, and instructional needs, combined with formative assessments and progress monitoring (Van Geel et al., 2019). An initial questionnaire was administered to all K-5 teachers in a suburban school district, followed by individual interviews with three teachers who expressed that they often use differentiation in the classroom. Each of the three teachers participated in two interviews lasting 45-60 minutes each over the course of several weeks. …

Behind The Scenes: Instructional Coaches’ Perceptions Of Curriculum Leadership Development, Cora C. Garner

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations

Since the 20th century, instructional coaching has influenced curricular and pedagogical practices that impact student achievement in K-12 schools; however, the existing literature provides minimal evidence of their experiences in curriculum leadership development. To fill the research gap, this study explores instructional coaches’ perceptions of their professional learning related to curriculum development and leadership. The research questions included (1) How do ICs perceive professional learning opportunities for curriculum leadership? and (2) How do instructional coaches describe the development of their curriculum coaching knowledge and practices? Upon applying the conceptual framework, which included the Saylor et al. (1981) curriculum development model …