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Teacher Education and Professional Development

Doctoral Dissertations

2014

Professional development

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Cycle Of Renewal: Yoga’S Influence On The Professional Lives Of Novice Teachers, Danette V. Day Aug 2014

Cycle Of Renewal: Yoga’S Influence On The Professional Lives Of Novice Teachers, Danette V. Day

Doctoral Dissertations

Teachers must acquire the appropriate knowledge, skills and dispositions to effectively meet the demands and challenges of the teaching profession (Darling-Hammond, 2006, 2010; Shulman, 2000). There is considerable research about how someone perceives they can perform effectively as a teacher, and what constitutes effective teaching (Bandura, 1995, 1997; Ashton & Webb, 1986). Research suggests that novice teachers feel unprepared, unsupported and ineffective; and 50% of novice teachers leave the profession within the first few years of teaching (Levine, 2006; Kaufman, et al., 2002; Kelley, 2004; Maciejewski, 2007) This study examined the question, “To what extent do novice teachers’ experiences and …


Speaking Volumes: Professional Growth In Book Studies, Elizabeth Smith Blanton Aug 2014

Speaking Volumes: Professional Growth In Book Studies, Elizabeth Smith Blanton

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative dissertation is to provide a description of the professional book study experience and gain insight into its use to support teacher professional development. Research on the use of professional book studies has been conducted in colleges, and by university researchers in public school settings. There is also a large field of research on leisure book clubs, providing insight into their popularity. Little research exists, however, on professional book studies from the point of view of the educators who were the participants. This qualitative case study examined the perceptions of 12 educators who voluntarily participated in …


An Investigation Of Special Education Teachers' Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of A Systematic 7-Step Virtual Worlds Teacher Training Workshop For Increasing Social Skills, Natalie Christina Nussli Jan 2014

An Investigation Of Special Education Teachers' Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of A Systematic 7-Step Virtual Worlds Teacher Training Workshop For Increasing Social Skills, Natalie Christina Nussli

Doctoral Dissertations

This study describes how a systematic 7-Step Virtual Worlds Teacher Training Workshop promoting inquiry, experiential learning, and sociocultural theory guided the enculturation of 18 special education teachers into three-dimensional virtual worlds. The main purpose was to enable these teachers to make informed decisions about the usability of virtual worlds for students with social skills challenges, such as students with autism. Mixed-methods data analysis and triangulation were based on the analysis of seven instruments. Six of the seven steps of the intervention received high ratings indicating its viability for teachers' professional development opportunities