Education Commons^™

A Qualitative Descriptive Study Exploring The Perceptions Of New Teacher Induction Supports, Tonya Dixon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem of novice teachers leaving the profession in the first few years of their career represented a global issue and an increased attrition rate. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the perceptions of novice U.S. teachers and effective systemic supports provided to new teachers through the lens of social capital. For this study, the intangible components of social capital emerged through the development and fostering of mentoring relationships in an induction program. The methodology used was a qualitative descriptive study using a survey, interviews, and thematic analysis of the survey and interview data collected. The …

Teacher Attrition: Supporting Teachers Through Mentorship, Tiffany A. Kamper

Culminating Experience Projects

A wealth of research demonstrates that teachers of all career levels are leaving the profession due to dissatisfaction with a variety of working conditions and lack of growth opportunities. Teachers desire a better work-life balance, opportunities to progress in their careers, and collaboration with co-workers and school leaders. Additionally, the research shows that teachers stay in education when they are valued and given the opportunity to use their expertise and voice. Mentorship programs support early-career teachers, while giving midto-late career teachers the opportunity to use their expertise. This project is the development of a two-tiered mentorship program that combines instructional …

Teacher And Administrator Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Instructional Coaching, Judith Salazar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Instructional coaching focuses on increasing the effectiveness of instructional practices. However, little is known concerning the perceptions of teachers and administrators regarding the role of instructional coaching related to student performance. This basic qualitative study was conducted to analyze the perceptions of administrators and teachers within one region in Texas. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 16 participants—eight administrators and eight teachers—using a researcher-designed questionnaire regarding the effectiveness of instructional coaching in addressing achievement gaps among African American, Hispanic, and European American students. Fullan’s coherence framework provided the basis for data analysis. Data collected from the interviews were analyzed and four …

Teacher And Administrator Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Instructional Coaching, Judith Salazar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Instructional coaching focuses on increasing the effectiveness of instructional practices. However, little is known concerning the perceptions of teachers and administrators regarding the role of instructional coaching related to student performance. This basic qualitative study was conducted to analyze the perceptions of administrators and teachers within one region in Texas. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 16 participants—eight administrators and eight teachers—using a researcher-designed questionnaire regarding the effectiveness of instructional coaching in addressing achievement gaps among African American, Hispanic, and European American students. Fullan’s coherence framework provided the basis for data analysis. Data collected from the interviews were analyzed and four …

The Essential Characteristics Of Coaching That Secondary Principals Perceive Support Effective Leadership At School Sites, Bryanna Norton

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand and describe the essential characteristics of coaching that secondary principals perceive to support effective leadership at school sites. An additional purpose of this study was to determine what strategies secondary principals recommend for improving coaching that supports effective leadership at school sites.

Methodology: This study adopted a phenomenological approach. The researcher analyzed the lived experiences of 11 secondary principals and identified any commonalities that existed among their interviews based on their perceived truths and perceptions of their lived experiences.

Findings: Analysis of interviews, observations, and artifacts from 11 high school …

How Principals Influence, Facilitate, And Support Instructional Coaching Programs, Nadine Y. Norris

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative, multicase study examined how principals perceived the role of instructional coaches and how they facilitated, influenced, and supported teachers’ professional learning through the instructional coaching program. Including the researcher as a participant, 16 participants from three suburban school districts—including district-level administrators, principals, instructional coaches, and teachers—engaged in semistructured interviews. This study was framed by Desimone’s core conceptual framework for professional development and Spillane’s distributed leadership model. Data analysis revealed principals viewed instructional coaches as their partners in instructional leadership and professional learning facilitators. Principals facilitated and influenced the instructional coaching program by empowering teachers, promoting collaboration, and establishing …

Principal Supervisors Coaching Practices For Developing School Principals' Instructional Leadership Capacity, Jamila M. Mannie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Across the United States performance expectations of principal supervisors are shifting from a focus on compliance to a focus on instructional leadership development. The problem addressed in this study was that principal supervisors were applying feedback and coaching approaches inconsistently as they addressed school principals’ growth as instructional leaders. The conceptual framework was transformational leadership, through which leaders encourage, inspire, and motivate employees to innovate and create change that can help grow and shape future academic success for the students they serve. The research questions were designed to explore how principal supervisors provide feedback and coaching to develop school principals’ …

Campus Administrators’ Perceptions Of Their Influence On The Success Of Instructional Coaching Programs In Urban Elementary Schools, Sakinah S. Burroughs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University

College of Education and Human Sciences

This is to certify that the doctoral study by

Sakinah S. Burroughs

has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made.

Review Committee Dr. Robert Flanders, Committee Chairperson, Education Faculty Dr. Kenneth McGrew, Committee Member, Education Faculty Dr. Cleveland Hayes, University Reviewer, Education Faculty

Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D.

Walden University2022

The Impact Of School Socioeconomic Status On The Effectiveness Of A Statewide Principal Mentoring Program, Michael Portwood

Dissertations

The professional demands on today’s school principal are varied and expansive, and as a result, relevant training and preparation is of utmost importance. Because of these rising demands, principal turnover is not uncommon, especially in low-SES schools. Formalized and strategic principal mentoring, however, has been shown to reduce principal attrition, keeping leaders in their roles and contributing to increased student achievement. This quantitative study examined the responses from school leaders on their experiences in a statewide principal mentoring program and analyzed the connection, in relation to their administrative peers, between their experience as a protégé and their status as a …

Youth Soccer Coaching Methodologies’ Impact On Enjoyment Of The Game And Retention, John Diffley

Theses and Dissertations

According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA, 2018), at least 4,420,000 children between the ages of 6–12 and 2,454,000 children between the ages of 13–17 participate in outdoor soccer in the United States. Arguably, their coaches have a significant impact on these children’s development. The purpose of this study was to evaluate coaching methods in soccer and their relationship to youth players’ enjoyment of the game and retention rates. The sample consisted of youth soccer players from the New York metropolitan area. This study adds to the growing literature on youth sports and demonstrates that coaches have a …

Employee Perceptions Of Collaborative Communication Skills Learned In The Informal Workplace, Wendy Marie Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Collaborative communication skills are underdeveloped through higher education experiences; therefore, employees need to develop these skills while working. Current research has not focused on how employees identify collaborative communication skills developed from informal workplace learning experiences, specifically those presented as coaching, mentoring, and networking. Marsick and Watkins’s informal workplace learning theory was the conceptual framework for this basic qualitative study, which used a researcher-produced interview protocol with eight United States employees who had been in their positions longer than 6 months. Data were analyzed using three rounds of hand coding. Participants described how informal coaching, mentoring, and networking encounters influenced …

Kindergarten Entry Assessment Practices In Pennsylvania, Anne Katona Linn Ed.D.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, there is significant variation in kindergarten programs and the entry assessment systems used in school districts. There are no reliable data on the kindergarten entry assessment (KEA) systems used in public kindergarten programs across the Commonwealth. It is well-established that comprehensive KEAs should be part of a broader preschool through third grade (P-3) continuum of early childhood education to assess whole-child skills, include families and community partners, be culturally and linguistically responsive, and developmentally appropriate. This study aimed to understand the KEA practices of kindergarten teachers in Pennsylvania. An online survey was distributed to kindergarten …

Competitive Edge Teaching: A Comparison Of Differentiated Reading Instruction In The K-3 Elementary Classroom To The Sports Psychology Behind High School Athletic Coaching Methods, Lindsay W. Lee

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This study explored the similarities between the philosophies and techniques used by select high school athletic coaches and select elementary reading teachers. The study shows parallels between the psychology behind coaching methodology within high school athletics and differentiated instruction within the elementary reading classroom. The purpose of this research was to develop a pathway to influence the increased implementation of differentiated instruction in elementary schools by determining and highlighting these parallels. The design of the study is a triangular analysis of interview questions conducted in a face-to-face interview format, document analysis, and surveys to show the parallels between the planning …

Assistant Principals And The Phenomenon Of Leadership Coaching, Thomas Flugum

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

This study sought to define and explore executive leadership coaching as a form of professional learning for educational leaders. This was a qualitative phenomenological inquiry into the ways, if any, that leadership coaching impacts the skills and abilities of first-year assistant principals. Research was conducted with a cohort of newly appointed assistant principals from a suburban school district outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Participants were part of a district leadership academy which provided professional learning and support for new administrators. The participants received leadership coaching from coaches endorsed by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC) as one form of professional learning.

Exploring Literacy Coaching As A Form Of Staff Development, Kate Matthews Welborn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Following a 2011 audit a school district in the south central United States clarified the role of the literacy coach. However, there were still differences among the literacy coaches as to how they were performing their duties. As a result, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the role of the literacy coach in the participating school district. The theoretical foundation of this study addressed adult learning and was based upon Kegan's constructive development theory and Knowles's theory of androgogy. A case study design was used to explore how 5 literacy coaches implemented literacy staff development …

Executive Coaching As A Model Of Professional Development For School Superintendents, Timothy Brian Arnold Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a utilization-focused program evaluation that describes the impact of an executive coaching model on the professional learning of superintendents who participated in the IASA School for Advanced Leadership (ISAL). This program evaluation is a knowledge-focused, or lessons learned-oriented, formative evaluation of the ISAL cohort program. A qualitative approach is used to describe the lived experiences of superintendents who participated in the coaching model provided through the ISAL cohort program. The results were intended to inform general practice and to provide recommendations on the use of a coaching model in the professional development of superintendents for the ISAL …

Secondary Administrators' Perceptions Of The Blended Coaching Model On Their Development As Transformational Leaders, Janine Ezaki

Dissertations

School principals are expected to lead the major changes and intense curricular work of implementing Common Core State Standards at their school sites. In addition to existing administrative duties and instructional responsibilities, this calls for site administrators to possess transformational leadership skills and attributes in order to lead effectively and purposefully through change in the 21st century. Since education has begun to value leadership coaching for school administrators, this study examined the coaching model as a viable means of support for novice administrators in their development as transformational leaders. The purpose of this ethnographic research was to study the culture …

Value Of Coaching In Building Leadership Capacity Of Principals In Urban Schools: A Case Study, Anita Renee Farver

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how coaching support structures enabled and sustained leadership practices of urban principals. The study investigated how the intervention of coaching for academic leaders can serve as evidence based professional development for building leadership capacity. The central focus was on principals' perceptions of coaching engagements over time to identify recurring themes and essential elements of the coach-to-client relationship. With a goal of meeting 21st century school accountability requirements of standards and assessments, the urban district in this study implemented coaching for academic leaders who were selected to participate in the coaching …

Combining Appreciative Inquiry And Emotional Intelligence To Understand And Improve The Professional Development Of K-12 Teachers, Jamie Elizabeth Dewitt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Creating meaningful and effective professional development (PD) programs for K-12 teachers is an ongoing challenge. The problem is exacerbated when PD models are implemented without fully aligning PD resources and plans with the training needs of teachers and the organization. The guiding question sought to understand the experiences of teachers at an online charter school about the implementation of PD as a means for improving student outcomes. The purpose of the study was to find ways to enhance PD in order to improve student outcomes at the school. The conceptual framework for this study is interwoven through the constructs of …

An Assessment Of Instructional Coaching: Results Of A Survey Of Selected School Districts In South Carolina, Heather Clayton Gordon

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine teachers' perceptions of instructional coaching. Four research-based instructional coaching best practices were identified for the development of a survey. The four instructional coaching best practices were: collaborating with teachers to address school-wide instructional concerns and practices, collaboratively planning with a teacher to identify when and how an instructional intervention might be implemented, modeling instructional practices in teachers' classrooms, and observing teachers and providing teachers with feedback. Data were collected through the researcher constructed Teachers' Perceptions of Instructional Coaching survey. Elementary teachers in four school districts in the Upstate of South Carolina participated …

The Impact Of Job-Embedded Professional Development Coaches On Teacher Practice., Donna T. Hamblin Morgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intent of this qualitative study was to understand the impact of job-embedded professional development coaches on teacher practice. Coaches in this study worked with teachers to plan lessons, model lessons with feedback, and disaggregate data. This qualitative study was conducted using interviews of coaches to gain their perceptions of the work they did with teachers and how this work influenced teacher practice. Teachers were interviewed to determine their perceptions of the impact coaches' work had on their classroom practices. Analysis of the coaches and teachers' reflective journals was also conducted to establish the participants' perceptions of their work together …

Wenatchee School District Middle School Athletic Program: A New Concept In Middle Level Sports, James "Ted" Taylor

All Graduate Projects

The Wenatchee School District in Wenatchee, Washington instituted a new middle school athletic program in response to the construction of a new middle school. The new dynamics in the district provided the opportunity to reassess the goals, objectives, and philosophy of their middle school athletic program. Visitations to several of these programs and interviews with many of the administrators, coaches, teachers, and student athletes revealed many of the strengths and weaknesses of the various programs. This information was presented to Wenatchee School District middle level administrators, community leaders, and middle school staff in order to develop the criteria that met …

A Model Athletic Coaching Handbook For The Quillayute Valley School District, Terence A. Jensen

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a model resource handbook for use by athletic coaches, the athletic director, and school administrators in the Quillayute Valley School District at Forks, Washington. To accomplish this purpose a review of current literature and research regarding coaching handbooks was conducted. Additionally, coaching handbooks from selected western Washington State "A" school districts were obtained and analyzed.

Developing Handbook: South Central League Standard Operating Procedures, Allan A. Schele

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to explore existing standard operating procedures of athletic leagues from around the State of Washington and to develop a Standard Operating Procedures Manual for use by the South Central "A" League of District IV of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. The results showed that although all leagues are required to have such a manual, the governing body of high school athletics, Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (W.I.A.A.), recommended that only five league handbooks be used as models toward the development of this project.

Effective Administrative Policies In Conducting An Interscholastic Program In The High School, James N. Rodgers

Graduate Student Research Papers

Athletics had a long, bitter struggle to find its way into the schools. The corruption that grew out of the pre-school athletics finally awakened the school administrators in the early part of the twentieth century to do something about it. The first step was to receive the program into the schools. However, this did not solve all the problems. Administrative problems have prevailed in the schools ever since the entrance of athletics into the educational curriculum. It can be safely said, however, that the problems are fewer, primarily because of the education of the administrators. The current problems are centralized …