Education Commons^™

The Shared Experiences Of Educators In Grades 7–12 Who Implement Lessons In Social–Emotional Learning Curriculum, Heathre C. Palige

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

Social–emotional learning (SEL) is used in public school classrooms throughout the United States. The problem that this researcher addressed in this study was that minimal understanding exists of the lived experiences of teachers who implement SEL in Colorado public schools in Grades 7–12. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore and to provide a clearer understanding of the lived experiences of six educators who implement SEL in Grades 7–12 in Colorado public schools. The study fills a gap in literature in understanding the experiences of teachers who use SEL in middle and high school. The literature review …

A Predictive Study Of Burnout And The Areas Of Worklife In Secondary Classical Christian School Teachers, Danielle R. Dillenschneider

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

This study evaluated the relationship between burnout and the six areas of worklife in secondary-level classical Christian school teachers at ACCS-accredited classical Christian schools. Moreover, the focus of the study was to determine the degree to which the six areas of worklife predicted burnout. Burnout was defined as a condition when employees consistently experience emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and inefficacy in relation to their work (Maslach et al., 2001). The six areas of worklife are workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values (Maslach et al., 2001). The areas of worklife significantly predicted a low level of burnout (p = .002), and …

Conceptions Of Rurality: Examining Beliefs And Their Impact On Teacher Efficacy In A Small Appalachian School, Lori Wickham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current literature documents the historical peripheralization of rural communities and the deficit narratives often imposed upon their schools, students and families. Research further suggests this history of peripheralization is often internalized by those identifying with these communities and that this internalization of deficit orientations may be impacting perceptions of possibility in educational practice. This mixed-methods study investigates more thoroughly if and how these core-periphery dynamics manifest in a small Appalachian school by examining possible connections between educators’ beliefs regarding rurality and their sense of teacher and collective efficacy. The research was guided by the following question:

How do rural …

Secondary Teachers' Perceptions On Their Competency And Self-Efficacy Levels Associated With An Integrated Professional Development Approach To Teaching United States History, Darwin Anthony Galloway

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The study assessed a multifaceted professional development approach and its impact on teacher competency and self-efficacy. The professional development approach considered in this study reflected an integration of Content Immersion Mini-institutes, Public History Field Experiences, and Collaborative Pedagogical workshops offered to middle school and high school United States history teachers. The major focus of the study was scaled exit surveys and free response questions completed by teachers in six school districts in northeastern Tennessee, who were part of a Teaching American History Grant program sponsored by Tennessee’s First Frontier Consortium. These extant exit surveys were used to determine the relationship …

An Exploratory Case Study Of Leadership Practices That Enable International Schools To Become Highly Effective And Learning Progressive Environments, Santha Kumar Sankara Narayanan

Dissertations

Highly effective learning progressive (HELP) environments can prepare students to be future-ready with the needed knowledge and skills to thrive in an ever-changing world. This case study captured the characteristics and measured the effectiveness of an international school working to become a HELP environment using the high-reliability schools (HRS) framework and the leadership practices that enabled them.

This mixed-method study used an explanatory sequential design, beginning with a survey of 122 teachers based on the HRS model (Marzano et al., 2014), where teachers were asked to respond to a series of statements designed to measure the case-study school’s effectiveness and …

Exploring Culturally Responsive Equitable Problem-Solving Pedagogy: Theorizing, Developing & Teaching, Tisha Newton Jones

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Achievement gaps in mathematics between middle and high school Black students when compared to their white peers exist in part because of access, but also because Black learners’ brilliance is not recognized. Finding ways to help students, especially Black students, become successful mathematical problem solvers was a driving force behind this research. The purpose of this research is to explore ideas of how to improve Black students' opportunities to engage in effective mathematical problem solving to improve their mathematics understanding and achievement. This study introduces the Culturally Responsive Equitable Problem Solving (CREPS) pedagogy situated at the intersections of a conceptual …

Secondary Educator And Administrator Perceptions Of Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports And Student Academic Achievement, Cynthia Everitt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study addresses secondary educator perceptions of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and student academic achievement. PBIS is a proactive approach with a multitiered framework. When used properly, PBIS can be a tool for school faculty to establish behavioral expectations and procedures, prevent disruptive behavior, and improve the school climate and culture. This phenomenological study was conducted using two secondary schools in West Virginia. Participants were identified and chosen through purposive sampling techniques according to their years of experience teaching and utilizing PBIS interventions.

The data for this study included unstructured, open-ended interviews based on three research questions. …

Cultural Classroom Competencies: White Female Social Studies Teachers’ Preparedness And Support To Interact With, Engage, And Teach The Global Majority, Ashley Lamar

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine White female social studies teachers’ experiences of how they were prepared to engage, interact, and teach students of the global majority. Teachers who identified as White and female and teach any social studies discipline served as the five participants for this study. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and an online survey. The data were analyzed using the Atlas AI software to identity and record specific codes and themes within the data. Overall, the data showed that the participants were not highly prepared for the cultural diversity of the public school classrooms …

Creating Inclusive Classrooms With Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, Melissa Kane

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

This is a qualitative phenomenographic study that uses the theoretical frameworks of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP) (Paris, 2012), Intergroup Contact Theory (Allport 1954), and Social Constructivism (Smagorinsky, 2007) to evaluate how 7^th grade students at a Title I middle school in the Southeastern United States experience the phenomenon of peer relationships in the context of a CSP writing unit. Students created, peer edited, and shared multimodal “Where I’m From” (Lyon, n.d.) poems in intentionally created groups. The researcher collected data via participant interviews, participant journals, and a researcher reflection journal. Findings indicated that students developed a better understanding of …

Meet Me In The Middle: A Scoping Review On Understanding Adolescent Needs In Climate Communication, Gwendolyn Monica Hoff Anderson

Master's Projects and Capstones

The greatest effects of climate change are likely to be felt by youth. Young people are disproportionately affected by climate change due to their critical developmental stage and lack of power, and they experience both higher severity and prevalence of mental health issues related to climate change. Strong emotions have long been recognized as potential catalysts for action, or they may lead to paralyzing feelings of being overwhelmed. Climate communication is a critical tool to spark climate concern and encourage action. Activism, in turn, may help youth manage their anxiety about climate change. This scoping review examines emerging evidence on …

New Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Experience In A New Teacher Induction Program In A School District In Tennessee, Ashley Miller

Ed.D. Dissertations

New teachers felt unprepared as they entered their first year of teaching and were leaving the teaching field at a high rate every school year. Tennessee, like many other states, had a critical shortage of secondary mathematics teachers. Secondary mathematics has been considered a high-needs subject area. New teacher induction programs were developed to help support new teachers and aid in their retention; however, the state of Tennessee did not have a requirement for mentoring or induction support for new teachers. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore new secondary mathematics teachers’ perceptions of their experiences in …

Supporting Working Memory Development In Schools During Adolescence, Megan Bryant

M.Ed. Literature Reviews

This master's project investigates the multifaceted aspects of working memory in secondary school students and its relationship with academic performance. The findings from this project contribute to the existing literature by offering insights into the effectiveness of holistic interventions and memory strategies in enhancing working memory abilities and optimizing academic outcomes in secondary school students. This project reviews evidence about the relationship between emotional regulation, stress, and working memory to understand better how emotional factors impact cognitive functioning in the classroom setting. This analysis also aims to shed light on the trajectory of working memory development during adolescence and its …

Indigenizing Education: Universal Design For Learning And Indigenous Leadership Frameworks, Jennifer Vasilez

Ed.D. Dissertations in Practice

Abstract

This study seeks to determine if Universal Design for Learning could serve as a culturally sustaining classroom framework for supporting Indigenous students in classroom settings. It also shares the perceived proficiency of Indigenous parents by those serving in a caregiver role for Indigenous youth, as well as the perceived potential of specific elements of Universal Design for Learning in supporting their students. As an Indigenous woman, I recognize the importance of asking Indigenous families if this strategy is worthy of further research, before conducting research into the efficacy of Universal Design for Learning in this way. This research project …

Equalizing Postsecondary Transition For At-Promise Youth Receiving Special Education Services: A Chance To Succeed, Karla R. Sanchez

Dissertations

Postsecondary transition can be difficult for At-Promise Youth Receiving Special Education Services (APYRSES). Special educators supporting postsecondary transition often manifest traditional and institutionalized forms of oppressive education while dismissing collective values and beliefs.

This qualitative case study examined the beliefs and attitudes shared by three special education teachers after being introduced to a justice-focused, humanizing intervention to facilitate postsecondary transition for APYRSES. The conceptualized intervention was grounded in liberatory educational frameworks and drew from critical, culturally affirming, sustaining, and humanizing theories that foster cultural reciprocity, self-determination skills, and antiracist social–emotional justice learning to afford opportunities for APYRSES to succeed. The …

How Students Investigate: Understanding Students’ Use Of Scientific Schemas In Open-Ended Labs, J. Alexander Wall

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Schema provides a theoretical framework for understanding the nature of science, inquiry, and open-ended labs. These topics have been emphasized in the state standards, especially in high school sciences. In this study the researcher took field notes, collected lab write ups, and conducted focus group interviews to understand students’ use of schema related to open-ended labs. These data were analyzed with the constant comparative method to generate themes. The author describes the major findings with parallel narratives, one focused on a student’s confusion and the other focused on a student’s understanding. The author concludes by advocating for science teachers to …

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Into International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Teachers' Lived Experience Of Professional Growth, Rosamund Whaley

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The International Baccalaureate (IB) program provides an inquiry- and concept-driven approach to teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools around the world. This educational philosophy is often different to teachers’ previous training and experience, yet little research has been done into how continuing professional development addresses the challenge of understanding and implementing the IB program. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the professional learning experiences of IB Diploma Programme (DP) teachers in international schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven teachers from five different schools and all six IB subject groups who had severalyears’ experience …

The Relationship Between Teacher Burnout And Physical Activity Among High School Teachers, Jonathan Davis

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Teaching at any level is a high-stress profession, and high levels of stress may result in increased rates of teacher burnout. The implications of teacher burnout are related to physical and emotional health problems for teachers, reduced student academic performance, and increased rates of teacher migration and attrition. One strategy for mitigating teacher burnout is to increase levels of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between level of physical activity and teacher burnout among high school teachers. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT-23) were used to determine levels …

Growth Mindset Intervention And Its Impact On Productive Struggle In The Eighth-Grade Mathematics Classroom, Jordy Wilson

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

This study aims to seek means to increase student productive struggle while adhering to the strenuous performance demands by our school systems. This study examines connections between growth mindset interventions, attitude towards struggle, and productive struggle in the mathematics classroom. Growth mindset interventions have been shown to change mindsets and to help students become more willing to engage in challenging problems and deal with difficult situations and struggle. Productive struggle is the engagement with difficult problems with the understanding that breakthroughs occur from confusion and struggle and has been linked with students’ conceptual understanding in the mathematics classroom. It has …

Anxious Times Call For Additional Goal Setting Measures: A Look At How Math Anxiety Is Impacted By Setting Goals In An Algebra I Class, Raegan Palacio

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

This study examined the impact that goal setting would have on Algebra I students’ math anxiety by comparing a control group to a treatment group. Students took the Math Anxiety Survey (Godbey, 1997) as a pre- and post-assessment. The researcher taught a goal setting mini lesson at the beginning of the data collection period to the treatment group (Class B), and students set weekly goals for themselves in relation to Algebra I class. Students in Class B journaled weekly, and some students participated in focus groups depending on their levels of math anxiety. The qualitative data was analyzed using the …

Examining The Factors That Influence High School Teachers’ Implementation Of Professional Development, Ellen Gianakis

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This quantitative study investigates the aspects of professional development that have the greatest impact on teachers’ perception of and implementation of professional learning. This study explores the extent to which release time and financial compensation influence teachers’ perceptions of the resources available to support their professional growth as well as the extent to which the format and focus of professional development impacts teachers’ perceptions of professional development relevancy. This archival study examines teacher-level data from the 2017-2018 National Teacher and Principal Survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. Data collected from 14,460 teachers across the nation was used for …

Horizon Content Knowledge And Its Integration Into Physics Education Research: Case Study Analysis On Physical Science And Physics Teachers, Trevor A. Robertson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers focused on just one year of instruction may neglect what students need most– a coherent structure of learning across disciplines that advances students’ understanding. The topic of coherence has been a major motivator for education research, including investigations in student- teacher interactions, epistemological beliefs, and large-scale curricular reform. One framework of knowledge, horizon content knowledge (HCK), can aid in describing the knowledge a teacher needs to see beyond their own instruction and provide a coherent structure for students.

While horizon content knowledge exists in one of the most widely adopted teacher frameworks of knowledge in mathematics, mathematical knowledge for …

Reading The Rainbow: Exploring The Educational Experiences Of Lgbtq+ Students, Ashley R. Stroud

Doctoral Dissertations

Research shows that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Queer and questioning plus (LGBTQ+) youth are at high risk for bullying and violent victimization, poor mental health, alcohol and other drug use, and poor academic performance. According to the 2019 GLSEN school climate survey, LGBTQ+ students reported hearing hostile remarks, experiencing harassment and assault, feeling unsafe because of personal characteristics, and being subjected to discriminatory policies. The purpose of this narrative inquiry is to understand how secondary students experience school environments and how their teachers can be supportive and affirming of their diverse identities. The following research questions guided this study: 1) …

Satisfaction Assessment Of Pre-Service Technology Education Programs, Austin P. Dodge

Career & Technical Education Theses

Teacher preparation programs are critical to the success and survival of Technology Education. In New York State, technology education, as a course of study, is required to be taught at the middle school level, and is continued to be taught at the high school level. Although Technology Education is a required course of study, there is a shortage of qualified Technology Education teachers. In Western New York, there is a perception that teachers obtaining a New York State Education Department (NYSED) teaching certification were not satisfied with their teacher preparation program. This thesis investigates the validity of this perception. Interviews …

The Components Of Professional Development Design And Methods That Teachers Perceive As The Most Valuable., Elizabeth Esquivelhofstedt

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine the key design components of transformational teacher professional development programming using sensemaking theory and adult learning theory. This research study was comprised of five phases: 1) needs assessment pre-survey of participating teachers, 2) follow-up interviews with participating teachers, 3) construction of professional development session using the needs assessment pre-survey and follow-up interviews 4) professional development session presentation to teachers 5) post-survey after the professional development session repeating the needs assessment survey to compare pre to post surveys

Instructional Technology Implementation: Barriers Impacting Student Success, Roxanna Zendejas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this comparative case study is to explore the benefits of effective technology integration in the classroom, as well as the best teaching practices related to instructional technology. It was designed to identify (a) educator beliefs, (b) digital divide, as well as other barriers, and (c) best practices and instructional strategies.

Methodology. This qualitative comparative case study research design explored the best practices of 10 middle school teachers by using a semi-structured interview protocol. A qualitative design was selected to focus on an individual, partnership, small group, and organization. Using comparative case study allowed the researcher to …

Annotations Of Awareness: A Framework For Externalizing Thinking To Promote Metacognitive Discourse In High School English And Social Studies Classrooms, Todd Howard

All Dissertations

Teachers find it challenging to integrate metacognition into the classroom to promote critical thinking, but such rigorous instruction is one way to improve access to quality education for all students, no matter their access to outside-of-school resources. To help teachers find more comfort and confidence in designing for increased critical thinking and metacognitive discourse and to help close the theory-practice gap in metacognition research, I conducted a mixed-methods case study focusing on assessment-design interventions. Using the Metacognitive Framework for Assessment Design and Annotations of Awareness, both designed in response to my literature review, my 90-day action research included three Plan-Do-Study-Act …

Meta-Analysis Of Therapeutic Interventions For The Treatment Of Test Anxiety., Thomas Reece

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to be a practitioner-focused review of the current research into interventions for the treatment of test anxiety. As testing continues to be a large part of students’ academic experiences and the stakes of that testing grow for students, teachers, and schools, there is a need for a synthesis of the literature to provide teachers and schools with some guidance on how best to help their students succeed. In this review, I describe the phenomenon of test anxiety and the current theoretical questions concerning the relationship between test anxiety and test performance. I also …

Xinachtli: Exploring The Experiences Of Young Resilient Latinas In A Rural And Under-Resourced Community, Deborah Hernandez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This interpretive phenomenology study aimed to explore the lived experiences of young Latinas in a rural and under-resourced community. The analysis of the messages received by young women in educational institutions, at home, and in science and math classes was necessary due to the underrepresentation of Latinas in STEM fields. Using an interpretive phenomenology lens, the researcher collected journals from seven participants. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with all seven participants every week for 16 weeks by the Xinachtli facilitator. The data collected from the journals were transcribed in a line-by-line analysis and affirmed using qualitative analysis. The codes were …

K-12 Teachers’ Perceptions Of Preparedness And Training To Provide Instruction And Support To English Language Learners, Rebecca Doxsee

Ed.D. Dissertations

The increased number of English language learners in the general education classroom created the need for teachers to be knowledgeable about how to instruct and support English language learners. Due to the minimal extant literature related to K-12 teachers’ preparedness and training, specifically regarding English language learners, the purpose of this qualitative, interpretive study was to examine the perceptions of Tennessee K-12 teachers related to preparedness and training to provide instruction and support to English language learners in the general education classroom. I emailed the questionnaire to 63 potential participants and received questionnaire responses from 44 (69.84%) K-12 teachers. I …

Secondary Teaching Thriving: Investigating Secondary Teacher Well-Being And Contributing Factors To Thriving, Ryan H. Nichols

PhD in Education

The purpose of this study was to examine secondary teacher thriving using the PERMA well-being model. This non-experimental, quantitative survey aimed to discover secondary teachers’ well-being and how the dimensions of well-being are predictive of thriving among secondary teachers in the United States. Using a comprehensive researcher-created instrument assessing participants’ sense of thriving and PERMA well-being, the study resulted in statistically significant findings with 55 secondary teachers participating in the survey. Both sense of thriving and the dimensions of thriving were statistically significant in a one sample ttest. Demographics, such as school classifications, years of experience, and geographic locations, were …