Education Commons^™

Implementing Inquiry: A Case Study Of Secondary Science Teachers’ Perceptions Of Curriculum Change, Pamela A. Gordon

Theses and Dissertations

With the constant strive for higher standards in education, New York State has joined with other states in the nation to develop a new strategy to teach science and 21st-century learning skills to ensure that our children are ready to compete in the global economy. This study sought to determine the current knowledge and perceptions of in-service teachers in New York State regarding the shift in standards from the 1996-based standards to the recently adopted New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS) and their implementation in the classroom. The study aims to help identify the shifts in classroom practices resulting …

Hagwon: Shadow Education In The Korean American Community, Minkyu Kim

Theses and Dissertations

Asian and Asian American students are achieving academic success at disproportionate rates, even when faced with low social capital (i.e., English is not the primary language spoken at home) and high rates of poverty (especially in urban settings like New York City). A contributing factor to their academic success is shadow education. Shadow education (SE) is defined as systemized learning that occurs outside of compulsory schooling, at private cost, with the objective of guiding students through and providing them with a competitive edge in school admissions—often with a focus on high-stakes standardized academic exams (Bray, 1999, 2013). In Korean, shadow …

Perceptions Of Bilingual Education Through An Organizational Culture Theory Framework, Martha Tuthill

Theses and Dissertations

The increase in the English language learner (ELL) student population in New York state has significantly impacted education in many school districts. The New York State Education Department has adjusted regulations for instructing ELL students in Part 154, and administrators and educators are adjusting educational programs to meet ELL student needs through bilingual and English as a new language (ENL) educational programs. The main purpose of this study was to explore perceptions regarding opportunities, challenges, and successes in a bilingual program for ELL students and examine how an organizational culture influences ELL education in the bilingual program. This qualitative multicase …

Teaching First-Generation Newcomers In Charter High Schools: Teachers’ Perceptions Of Students’ Barriers, Teaching Practices And Strategies, And Teaching Supports, Daniel Loh

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers in the United States are experiencing challenges linked to the increasing number of immigrant students entering schools. Los Angeles County Charter schools are among the country's most diverse, with many immigrant students. Although first-generation and immigrant students’ education barriers and teacher challenges are documented, little is known about teachers' experiences with newcomer students, a particularly vulnerable group. This phenomenological study explored charter high school teachers’ lived experiences concerning their teaching challenges and perspectives on the barriers for first-generation/newcomer immigrant students, their descriptions of the strategies and practices used, and their perceptions of the support they receive. Twelve teachers from …

College Preparedness. Narratives Of Transitions From High School To College., Chelsey Luann Vincent

Theses and Dissertations

Despite many theories on student success as well as many resources to help students make the transition from high school to college, many students do not persist in or graduate from college. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide insight into what takes place when students leave P-12 institutions and enter institutions of higher education by using focused narrative inquiry. This study took place at a large research university in the south. The study included 4 participants at various parts of their transition journey. Participants in the study responded to written prompts. Follow up interviews were conducted, and a …

The Connective Tissue Of Well-Developed Interests: A Case Study Of A Science Research Classroom, Deborah M. Brand

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine ways that long-term interests in high school students could be inspired and facilitated in educational contexts. In particular, it explored how a high school Science Research (SR) program cultivated belonging and supported autonomy in ways that inspired and promoted well-developed individual interests. This type of interest is characterized by an enduring desire to pursue learning out of an intellectual and emotional need to gain understanding; it drives behavior, motivation, and cognition toward particular activities and ideas. Classroom belonging is derived from this sense of connection and purpose a student feels from the …

Percepción De Docentes En Integración De Herramientas Tecnológicas Utilizando El Modelo Picrat En Una Institución De Nivel Superior, Marangely Perez Montalvo

Theses and Dissertations

Este estudio tuvo como propósito analizar la percepción de los profesores sobre el modelo de integración tecnológica PICRAT y cómo este evalúa los niveles de reemplazo, amplificación y transformación que se le realizan a las herramientas tecnológicas para lograr una interacción pasiva, interactiva y creativa con el estudiante durante el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje. Se utilizó un enfoque cuantitativo con un diseño transeccional no experimental con un alcance descriptivo y correlacional. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 23 profesores universitarios que imparten al menos un curso de manera remota en el nivel académico de maestría con especialidades en Ciencias de …

Propuesta De Un Modelo De Enseñanza En Las Matemáticas Enfocado En La Solución De Problemas En El Nivel Secundario En Puerto Rico, Carlos J. Colon Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito del estudio fue proponer un modelo educativo enfocado en la solución de problemas matemáticos en el nivel secundario, y se realizó la revisión sistemática para evaluarlo. El marco teórico incluyó teorías heurísticas y modelos educativos. La metodología de seis fases que se empleó en este estudio, incluyendo la formulación de preguntas investigativas, búsqueda de literatura, selección de investigaciones, levantamiento de información, análisis y resumen de resultados y exposición y discusión de estos. Se siguieron guías para revisiones sistemáticas y criterios de inclusión y exclusión para evaluar la efectividad de modelos didácticos en la disciplina de matemáticas con énfasis …

Mentors’ Perspective On Mentoring Practices For New Teachers: A Qualitative Study, Rosa Smith-Norman

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological research study explores the lived experiences of mentors as they share their perceptions of mentoring practices to better understand how participatory experiences affect the professional growth of new teachers. Using a phenomenological research design helps to better understand the participants’ perceptions and personal meaning making processes that emerge from their first-person lived experiences of their professional practice. This study explores how ongoing participatory experiences have served to shape one’s perceptions about teaching and learning though the use of best mentoring practice strategies. To this end, this study triangulates the data by conducting an initial email interview questionnaire …

The Relationship Of Teacher – Principal Trust And Student Demographics On High School Students’ Achievement In Mathematics, Rickey M. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Although school principals are primarily held accountable for student achievement, they have only an indirect impact on that achievement (Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2007; Hallinger & Heck, 1996; Supovitz, Sirinides, & May, 2010). Teachers affect student achievement directly, and principals affect teachers. Because faculty trust in the principal is one variable principal’s affect in teachers that could have a positive impact on student achievement (Bryk & Schneider, 2002; Sweetland & Hoy, 2000; Tschannen-Moran, 2001), the challenge for principals is knowing what will impact their teachers’ trust in them (Blake & MacNeil, 1998). This study investigated relational trust and its influence on …

How Teacher-Student Relationships Shape Student Engagement And Interest In Science, Destini N. Braxton

Theses and Dissertations

The current research on emotional engagement and teacher-student relationship is abundant and acknowledges education as an environment that thrives on social interactions and causes a variety of emotions to be present in the classroom. However, research on the relationship between Black and Latinx students’ teacher-student relationships and students’ emotional engagement and interest in science in urban middle school science classrooms remains scarce. Unfortunately, Black and Latinx students often experience a) mixed social interactions with their teachers, b) a lack of relatability to science instruction, and c) a combination of positive and negative emotions during science instruction and activities. This phenomenological, …

The Influence Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Rural Virginia Secondary Teachers’ Self-Efficacy, Sherol L. Southerland

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges for PK-12 education and exposed educators’ skill deficits. Teachers had to learn new approaches to doing their jobs while navigating the mental, emotional, spiritual, and financial impact of the pandemic on their personal lives. This undertaking was even more demanding for rural school divisions, which tend to lack the resources (e.g., personnel, technology, financial) that suburban and urban school divisions have. Schools reopened in fall 2020 offering fully remote, fully in-person, and hybrid modalities, however, there was no going back to teaching as it was before the pandemic. The present study sought to …

Marketization Without Marginalization? Approaches To Integration In A Dual Enrollment Magnet School, Shannon Mumolo

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the well-documented benefits of integration and Southern California’s racial, socioeconomic, and linguistic diversity, California and U.S. efforts to promote integrated magnet schools have been minimal and primarily driven by local districts. Attempts to evaluate magnet programs primarily focus on student outcomes, yet surprisingly few studies examine approaches used by school leaders to establish and achieve program outcomes. This study contributes to the knowledge and practice of magnet implementation by exploring one California high school’s efforts to establish a dual enrollment magnet program. An explanatory mixed methods case study design was used to understand how school leaders promoted student integration …

How Technology Mediated Social Learning During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Case Study, Rashi Seth-Parmar

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools in California were forced to shut their doors to students and staff during spring semester 2020. The school closures forced teachers to migrate their lessons to online platforms and forced students to learn using various online modalities. Students no longer had the traditional access to their teachers, administrators, or peers, which caused an imbalance in their social learning. This phenomenological qualitative study offers administrators and teachers best practices in fostering student social learning while utilizing distance learning or online learning specifically for K-12 students. The best practices are derived from the lived experiences of …

Exploring Digital Portfolios And Their Effects On Test Scores, Dithmar Kenneth Rualo

Theses and Dissertations

Many educators in the field are looking for ways to grade their students. Many of our youth can learn new concepts and attain academic growth but have difficulties in the traditional lecture-based classroom. Digital portfolio incorporation in our secondary classrooms may be a solution to engaging learners through various interactions using online learning tools, interaction with peers, and their teachers. This exploratory study investigated the current value of digital portfolios in improving academic performance in today’s classroom. Much of the trend was popular ten years ago. The research explored how current educators in the secondary school setting feel about the …

Examining How Entrepreneurial Educators’ Perspectives And Lived Experiences Have Shaped Their Pedagogical Approaches In Secondary Education, Latonya Wiley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenology study is to explore the perspective of entrepreneurial educators in Southeast Louisiana who teach students in grades 9-12, related to how their entrepreneurial experiences have influenced their pedagogical approaches. There is a gap in our knowledge and understanding of how the lived experiences of entrepreneurs can affect teachers' instructional approaches to introduce the art of entrepreneurship in its many manifestations. The Constructivist learning approach and Kolb's experiential learning theory (1984) are influential in this dissertation. The theoretical framework for this study is an experiential learning theory which helps us understand the impact of the …

The Impact Of Non-Affirming Christian Secondary Schools On Students Who Identify As Lgbtqia+: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Alexis C. Schneider

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, nearly 100,000 LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual) students attend non-affirming religious secondary schools yearly (Green et al., 2019; Institute of Education Sciences [IES] & National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2019a, 2019b). Because organized religion can have both beneficial and harmful outcomes on LGBTQIA+ youth (Wolff, 2016) and a secondary school environment has a significant impact on a student’s sense of academic success and well-being (Forber-Pratt et al., 2021), it is essential to understand and implement best practices that support LGBTQIA+ students in non-affirming religious secondary schools. Using phenomenological methods within a qualitative …

Best Practices Utilized By School Counselors In Increasing Latino Male College Readiness, Robert Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to identify best practices incorporated by secondary school counselors in California high schools that promote, support, and increase college-going identity and foster a supportive college-going environment for Latino male students. The researcher used a phenomenological qualitative study to capture the best practices and strategies academic counselors utilize to overcome the challenges of increasing Latino male academic achievement and college readiness. The findings of this study suggest that practices such as building supportive and caring environments, developing a college-going culture, increasing college readiness opportunities for Latino males, and targeted support increase college readiness among Latino males. Recommendations from …

Middle School Teacher Methods For Cultivating Student Autonomy: A Plc Case Study During Covid-19, Denis Ryan Lafferty

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this PLC-informed qualitative interview case study was to explore middle school teacher methods for cultivating student autonomy and the rationale behind their instructional choices. Here, student autonomy was defined as learners taking ownership of their academic performance and scholastic responsibilities (Holec, 1981). The unforeseen emergence of COVID-19 impacted the format of this study and provided a rare opportunity for a six-week, nine-member professional learning community (PLC) focusing on the topic of student autonomy. A survey questionnaire, PLC transcripts, and 30-minute semi-structured qualitative exit interviews underwent thematic coding analysis to place teacher responses in the context of predominant …

High School Principal's Perception And Experience With Student Voice And Youth-Adult Partnerships, James D. Flynn

Theses and Dissertations

High school principals can foster student voice (SV) and youth-adult partnerships (YAP) while leading their students towards being engaged and informed citizens in our democracy. It is critical to understand the advantages and opportunities high school principals have in listening to and partnering with their students. It is also critical to understand the challenges facing high school principals in their journey towards SV and YAP. A qualitative multicase study of 10 high school principals from across the nation was used to understand the perception and experiences of high school principals in the area of SV and YAP. In addition, this …

Perspectives Of Students With Asd And Their Parents: What Does It Truly Mean To Be Included?, Keara M. Browne

Theses and Dissertations

Though there are a number of practices identified by researchers and other professionals as inclusive, the question remains about whether the students themselves truly feel included. There has been limited research surrounding specific experiences in inclusive classrooms that students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) perceive to be facilitators and barriers to being included in general education and co-teaching settings. The purpose of this study was to inform educational policies and school practices surrounding the inclusion of students with ASD in general education and co-teaching settings by analyzing the perceptions of students with ASD and their parents to determine what it …

Assessing Virtual Free-Choice Agricultural Learning: A Mixed Methods Approach, Richard John Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations

Since the mid-19th century, agricultural museums and living history sites, first in Scandinavia and then in the United States and Canada, have provided historical, cultural, and, sometimes, scientific information about farming to visitors. Many of these visitors have been school children on field trips. Assessment of this learning, however, has been scant, particularly within the free-choice style inherent in these types of educational venues. At the same time, assessment of free-choice learning, often analyzed through the Contextual Model of Learning (Falk & Dierking 2000), has taken place at educational sites like zoos, natural history museums, and science centers. This study, …

It's The Focus On Black Girls For Me: A Mixed Methods Inquiry Into Perceptions Of School Climate, Eshe Price

Theses and Dissertations

Local and national context, along with some educational research, indicate the racialized and gendered challenges Black girls are facing in schools. Although there has been an increase in research centered on Black girls' schooling experiences, few studies investigate the realities Black girls face in rural communities. Accordingly, the aim of this three-article dissertation is to deepen our understanding of Black girls' schooling experiences in order to improve the climate in schools for Black girls in predominantly white, rural communities. The first article is a conceptual paper that unpacks the four tenets of critical race quantitative intersectionality (CRQI). The second article …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Secondary Teachers’ Health And Wellbeing, James Jonathan Ray Thornton

Theses and Dissertations

Secondary teachers across the United States have had various experiences due to the COVID-19 global pandemic during the 2020-2021 school year. These experiences may have influenced teacher exhaustion and their ability to cope with numerous stressors related to COVID-19. This applied dissertation was designed to provide additional clarity to districts related to secondary teachers’ daily work experiences and attitudes while teaching during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Secondary teachers were surveyed on how they perceived their occupational demands related specifically to emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishments, and depersonalization utilizing the Maslach Burnout Inventory- Educators (MBI-ES). The study also examined how secondary teachers’ …

An Examination Of High School Students' Experiences As Anti-Defamation League Peer Trainers: A Case Study, David G. Knecht

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine students experiences as Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Peer Trainers at a predominately White, suburban high school in New Jersey, including in what ways students' experiences reflected transformative learning and empowered them as social justice allies. In addition, the study explored in what ways students' experiences could inform social justice education at their high school. The findings indicate that within this context, many participants experienced at least the beginning of perspective transformation, resulting in a shift from an exclusive to an inclusive perspective and an orientation toward social justice. Further, the findings …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Using Social Media For Classroom Instruction In Secondary Schools, Beverlee Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Much research has been done to explore social media on students and instructors and their perceptions of social media use in higher education, but little research has been done on teachers in secondary education and their perceptions of social media use in the classroom. Due to the lack of research, the purpose of the study was to examine teachers’ perceptions of social media use to improve students’ learning and students’ engagement and if their perceptions varied by selected demographic variables. The study was conducted in three northeast Mississippi secondary schools, a 6th and 7th grade school, 8th and 9th grade …

Narrowing The Digital Divide: Instructional Practices Promoting Growth Mindset To Address Students’ Digital Literacy Needs In A Secondary School Learning Environment, Alyssa A. Krisanda

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was: (1) to explore the ways in which high school teachers use instructional practices that promote a growth mindset among their students, (2) how those practices are used to improve digital literacy, and (3) how these practices evolved during the transition from face-to-face instruction to remote instruction. This study aimed to explore not only how teachers are using instructional strategies to promote growth mindset, but how those strategies are helping to address students‘ digital literacy needs with the intent to narrow the digital divide. For this study, the case-selection variant of …

The Self-Efficacy Of Culturally Responsive Teaching Among Secondary Teachers During Emergency Online Learning, Jo R. Hawke

Theses and Dissertations

The present study used an explanatory-sequential mixed-methods research design to investigate the culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy of secondary teachers during the emergency online learning of 2020. Participants were all teachers in a small urban mid-Atlantic school district. Phase 1 involved the collection of primarily quantitative data, including a measure adapted from Siwatu’s (2007) Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy (CRTSE) scale. Quantitative findings informed the selection of six teachers to participate in interviews during the qualitative Phase 2. Interview questions further probed participants’ culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy and how the teachers demonstrated these beliefs in general and specifically during the emergency online …

The Impact Of Teaching Experience, Autonomy, And Competence On 7th-12th Grade English Language Arts Text Selection, Julianna V. Lux

Theses and Dissertations

This explanatory sequential mixed methods study sought to understand the influences of teaching experience on perceptions of autonomy and competence on 7th through 12th grade English language arts teachers’ text selection decisions through a survey and interviews. The findings of this explanatory sequential design survey study could affirm practices of those teachers utilizing diverse texts in the classroom, encourage those lacking confidence in aligning nontraditional texts with their state’s standards, and remind administrators of teachers’ need for autonomy in the classroom. While no statistically significant difference was found on the autonomy and competence subscale scores based on teaching experience, the …

The Impact Of Language Interactions With Guest Speakers On Secondary Students’ Reading Skills And Reading Maturity, Kristen M.F. Morgan

Theses and Dissertations

As students age, their rates of aliteracy, a type of reading resistance where an individual can read but chooses not to, increase. Secondary schools are tasked with supporting aliterate students’ development into mature readers who not only possess adequate reading skills but also the reading interests and attitudes that enable them to thoughtfully participate in citizenship. Through a nonequivalent control group design, this study investigated the impact of language interactions with guest speakers on high school seniors’ reading skills and reading maturity. The reading skills and reading maturity of a treatment group and a control group were measured using the …