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Full-Text Articles in Education

The Impact Of Teacher Preparedness And Professional Development On Fourth-Grade Students' Science Achievement, Craig L. Mayo, Faye Bradley Dec 2023

The Impact Of Teacher Preparedness And Professional Development On Fourth-Grade Students' Science Achievement, Craig L. Mayo, Faye Bradley

Journal of Research Initiatives

Science scores among US fourth-grade students have declined compared to their international counterparts in recent years. Recent results show that teachers are the most impactful influence on student success and accountability. Teacher preparedness and professional development are two key areas that serve as indicators of providing relevant and essential information for students' success. A correlational quantitative study was conducted to assess the relationship between teacher preparedness and professional development on fourth-grade students’ science achievement. The TIMSS 2019 data were secured from the Boston College, TIMSS, and PIRLS International websites. The data was evaluated using the SPSS 27 Hierarchical Linear Regression. …


Inclusive Education For All: Identifying Teacher Beliefs About Working With Students With Disabilities, Chelsea Sharek Dec 2023

Inclusive Education For All: Identifying Teacher Beliefs About Working With Students With Disabilities, Chelsea Sharek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the beliefs K-12 teachers have when working with students with disabilities in a rural Pennsylvania school district. This study aimed to identify if teachers’ personal beliefs created biases about their students and school systems; thus, forming barriers and preventing an inclusive education when working with disabled students. Instrumentation for this quantitative study is the Multidimensional Attitudes Towards Inclusive Education Scale (MATIES) survey. Findings suggest that some teachers at Sunnyside School District (pseudonym) hold personal beliefs that could create biases about their students and school system that may form barriers when working with …


The Texas Reading Academies And The Experiences Of Teachers Who Instruct Students With Disabilities: A Phenomenological Study, Suzanne S. Jones Mar 2023

The Texas Reading Academies And The Experiences Of Teachers Who Instruct Students With Disabilities: A Phenomenological Study, Suzanne S. Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

To build today's students' reading skills, teachers must know effective instructional reading practices. Therefore, the purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences with learning and incorporating the elements of the Texas Reading Academies with a focus on language comprehension by teachers who instruct students with disabilities in Texas. The Texas Reading Academies' goal is to provide teachers with reading instructional practices grounded in the science of reading. The theory guiding this study was Malcolm Knowles' adult learning theory, with the central research question asking what the experiences of teachers who instruct students with disabilities were with …


Teacher Inquiry: A Catalyst For Professional Development, Divonna Stebick, Jonathan Hart, Lauren Glick, Jaime Kindervatter, Jenna Nagel, Cathy Patrick Feb 2023

Teacher Inquiry: A Catalyst For Professional Development, Divonna Stebick, Jonathan Hart, Lauren Glick, Jaime Kindervatter, Jenna Nagel, Cathy Patrick

Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research

Teachers seek and require meaningful professional development opportunities to truly grow in the profession. Teacher inquiry, or teacher research, is one way to accomplish professional development goals. Teacher inquiry is thought of as individualized, personalized, and meaningful professional development (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999). In this paper we articulate the learning of a cohort of certificated professionals engaged in a year-long project that included asking research questions, designing data collection tools, and developing an independent study to examine their questions. Nine certificated professionals participated in the year-long project representing various grade levels and experiences. Data was collected through teacher reflections and …


The Relationship Of Mentorship And Professional Development On Special Educators’ Intent, Christine S. Powell Jan 2023

The Relationship Of Mentorship And Professional Development On Special Educators’ Intent, Christine S. Powell

Theses and Dissertations

Current literature in special education has examined professional development (PD) and mentorship separately; however, no studies have investigated the relationship between PD and mentorship on special education teachers’ intent. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which participating in PD and mentorship opportunities predicted the likelihood of Early Career Special Education Teachers' (ECSETs) intent to leave the teacher workforce while examining factors related to duration and quality. Based on two conceptual models, Desimone’s (2009) best practices for professional development and Nick et al. (2012) best practices for academic mentoring, this study identified key features and characteristics …


The Impact Of Professional Development On Specially Designed Instruction For Students With A Specific Learning Disability, Stacy H. Huffman Jan 2023

The Impact Of Professional Development On Specially Designed Instruction For Students With A Specific Learning Disability, Stacy H. Huffman

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This research study, rooted in the theoretical framework of phenomenology, examined the impact of professional development related to specially designed instruction for students with a learning disability in reading. Teachers of students who had mastered at least 50% of their IEP goals in reading or had exited from special education services were the participants in this study. In addition to the teachers, administrators and district staff who worked with these teachers and students were included. Through a mixed methods research design, 47 participants were surveyed using Qualtrics, and 14 participants were interviewed. Findings demonstrated that professional development related to specially …