Education Commons^™

The Decline Of Science In The Early Years: A Diagnosis And A Plan Of Action, Jennifer Bentley

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Science instruction in the early years of a student’s education career is essential to a student successfully continuing science in their secondary and postsecondary careers. However, the amount of high-quality science instruction students receive at the elementary level has been steadily declining for two decades, resulting in an inequitable imbalance in those who pursue STEM careers, a lack of critical science literacy in the U.S. populace, and a shortage of qualified employees entering the U.S. economy. Much of the lack of science instruction can be traced to decreased training of teachers to teach science during elementary credentialing programs or the …

Representation Counts: Intern Teachers Of Color And Their Perspectives Of Teaching In A California County, Girlie M. Hale

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Intern teachers are more likely to be placed in hard-to-fill content areas, such as math, science, and special education, which exacerbates their initial teaching experiences as teachers of record. For new teachers in their intern credential program, these factors compound the stress of attending coursework while managing their experience as a novice in the classroom. Without proper mentoring and support in these placements, teachers of color may perceive themselves as feeling less successful in the classroom. In this mixed methods study, the researcher investigated the types of support intern teachers of color need in successfully completing their teacher preparation program. …

Intrinsic Motivation Is Not Enough: Exploring The Decision To Pursue Promotion To Full Professor, Margaret Roberts

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The academic career path for tenure track faculty in most four-year universities in the United States allows those who earn tenure to make an individual choice about whether to pursue promotion to the rank of full professor. Limited research exists on the intrinsic motivators that individuals possess and draw upon to push past obstacles or challenges they encounter along their academic career journey. This study explored the role of intrinsic motivation in the decision of tenured associate professors to pursue promotion to full professor. Using a basic qualitative research design, this inquiry involved two in-depth interviews each with seven participants. …

The African American And The California Basic Skills Requirement For Teaching, Willie C. Thomas Ii

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study examines why the passing rates of African Americans on the CBEST are the lowest in California at 60%. Madkins (2011) identified licensure testing as a significant reason why African Americans cannot enter the teaching progression. According to Darling-Hammond et al. (2016), California has an ongoing credentialed teacher shortage. An even more significant need is for teachers of color. According to the California Department of Education (2021), 60% of the state’s educator workforce is White, while the state student body, multicultural and multilingual, is only slightly more than 22% White. While licensure testing for teachers is required in all …

Disappearing Acts: The Declining Numbers Of African American Teachers In Public School Settings, Catherine F. Lewis-Brownfield

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

African American teachers are slowly leaving the classroom, causing an imbalance in the student/teacher ratio (NCES, 2019). According to the National Center for Education Statistics, African American teachers make up 3% in California and 7% nationally. This study sought to understand the reasons for the decline in the number of African American teachers in public school settings. Due to the decline in their numbers, African American students have suffered high dropout rates, low standardized test scores, and low college attendance (Gershenson, Hart, Hyman, Lindsey, & Papageorge, 2017). This qualitative study examined the obstacles current African American teachers face and the …

The Associations Between The Perception Of Helpfulness Of Teacher Induction Programs, Teacher Self-Efficacy, And Anticipated First-Year Teacher Retention In Shanghai Public Primary Schools, Xiaotian Han

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to: (a) determine to what extent the formalized teacher induction programs (TIPs) in Shanghai are perceived to be helpful for first-year public primary school teachers; (b) measure teacher self-efficacy and anticipated job retention of first-year teachers in Shanghai public primary schools; and (c) examine the degree to which these perceptions of helpfulness, teacher self-efficacy, and anticipated job retention are associated. In this study, retention is defined as remaining in a public primary school in Shanghai. Shanghai TIPs are one-year long, mandatory programs for first-year teachers in Shanghai public primary schools. The conceptual framework of …

Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs In Relation To Perceived English Proficiency And Teaching Practices: An Investigation Of Chinese Primary English As A Foreign Language (Efl) Teachers, Yun Zhang

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Research on self-efficacy has been a productive field and abundant research has shown that teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs influence teachers’ actions and performances and thus affect students’ learning outcomes. However, there is a lack of literature on EFL teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and even less research was set in Chinese EFL contexts. On the one hand, this study was conducted to provide a general picture of the current status of EFL teachers’ perceived English proficiency, self-rated self-efficacy beliefs and self-reported teaching practices in terms of some demographic perspectives; On the other hand, it aimed to explore the correlations among Chinese primary EFL …

Mentor Teachers In Selected Districts In Northern California: Profile, Selection, And Responsibilities, Sarah Elizabeth Taylor

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to develop a profile of California SB 813 mentor teachers in selected districts in northern California, to investigate selection procedures and responsibilities, to assess perceptions of mentor teachers regarding their helpfulness in improving instructional quality, and their satisfaction with the role. An analysis of the helpfulness of the mentor teacher role in improving instructional quality as perceived by teachers assisted by the mentor teachers and their principals was included in this study. Procedures. Ninety-three mentor teachers from twelve school districts and county offices of education in northern California, one hundred fifty-three assisted teachers, …

The Appropriateness Of Selected Inservice Education Programs As Perceived By Seventh-Day Adventist Educators, George Alvah Bronson Jr.

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Problem. When considering specific instructional areas associated with the performance of teachers, do teachers and administrators in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) school system differ in their perceptions regarding the appropriateness of inservice education programs? Procedure. Three sample groups were derived from the population of SDA educators in California. These groups included: administrators at the district level; administrators in elementary and secondary schools; and elementary and secondary teachers. Of the 298 questionnaires distributed, 86.9 percent were returned. Various statistical procedures were used to determine if perceptual differences existed between: administrators and teachers; elementary and secondary teachers; male and female teachers; to …

Attitudes Towards Public School Teachers Strikes, Kenneth Harold Arnold

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Problem. Teacher strikes have increased from a single strike in the late fifties to approximately 180 in the past year, 1980. This has presented quite a dilemma for the public school sector. The problem in this study was to investigate the attitudes held towards teachers' strikes by public school Teachers, administrators, board of trustee members, and members of the general public. The study also attempted to determine if there was a significant difference in the attitudes, held by these groups in communities which had experienced a teacher strike and those who had not. Finally, the variables of sex, age, marital …

A Model Of A Regional Out-Of-State Teacher Recruitment Service, Jay T. Kenagy

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Statement of the problem. The problem of the study was to develop a model for a regional service to recruit out-of-state teachers for California public schools.

Purposes. The purposes of the study wore as follows:

A.To determine the out-of-state recruitment practices in the region.

B. To determine the kinds of out-of-state teachers desired by the districts in the region

C. To determine the reasons out-of-state teachers accept specific positions in school districts

D. To determine desirable out-of-state recruitment practices in order to establish a regional recruiting service

Importance of the study. The problem of obtaining a sufficient number of qualified …

The Professional Activities Of Teachers In The Stockton Unified School District, 1956 To 1959, Anna Cecilia Hansen

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Statement of the problem: The problem had two parts. The first of these was to ascertain and record the types of professional activities of the teachers and the approximate time spent on these activities according to the teachers' years of service in the Stockton Unified School District. The second was to analyze the resultant data to determine if any significant patterns of performance existed.

A Survey Of Induction Practices In Ten Selected School Systems Of Northern California, Catherine Humbargar Rovetta

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

One of the trends in modern public schools has been the establishment of some type of orientation program for new teachers. When the yearly increase of the number of new teachers to many systems reached. into the hundreds, the need for an organized plan of teacher induction increased. Some of these formal programs of induction appear to have been planned from projected objectives or needs previously experienced by new teachers. Other program.s of induction apparently evolved without any advanced organized plan. Studies of induction programs made by the Research Division of the National Education Association indicate that formal induction practices …

Establishing Criteria For Developing A Program Of Science Instruction In Elementary Schools Of The Stockton Unified School District, Jefferson Bryan West

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

great deal of confusion exists among elementary

school teachers, supervisors, and administrators regarding the kinds of experiences children should have in an elementary school science program. The confusion has been intensified by two opposing philosophies. One group would establish a rigid sequence of science experiences for each grade level; another group would relegate science to an inferior position in relation to other elementary school subjects. The net result has been that science instruction is often dependent upon the amount of effort that individual teachers are willing to exert. science is far too vital in modern living to be left to …

A Study Of Elementary Teachers' Reactions To Certain Supervisory Techniques, Morton Murov

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

There is a feeling among teachers and supervisors alike that something should and could be done to improve relationship between these two groups of professional workers.

It was the general purpose of this study to make available to those interested in the field of supervision a summary of teachers' reactions to certain supervisory technique.

The specific purposes of the study are:

1. To make a statistical study to determine whether elementary teachers are receiving constructive aid from the general supervisor.
2. To survey the relationship between the teacher and the supervisor.
3. To determine whether the relationship between the teacher and supervisor can …

A Study Of The Relationship Between The Financial Status And The Certificated Personnel Of Selected Secondary School Districts Of San Joaquin County, Earl Loren Klapstein

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The problem for this study consists of a question: Is there a relationship between the financial status and the academic preparation and experience of teachers in selected secondary school districts of San Joaquin County? The purpose of this study will, therefore, be to determine the relationship between financial status of the school district and the academic preparation of employed certificated personnel in selected secondary schools of San Joaquin County.