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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. …


Facilitating Effective Mathematical Teaching Practices In Preschool, Funda Gonulates, Jasook Gilbert Dec 2023

Facilitating Effective Mathematical Teaching Practices In Preschool, Funda Gonulates, Jasook Gilbert

Journal of Global Education and Research

Initial seeds for mathematics literacy are planted during early childhood. Children benefit when they are exposed to and provided with opportunities for math experiences that emphasize their holistic development and not just mathematics proficiency in isolation. This way of viewing and presenting mathematics to young children requires teachers who are equipped with strong mathematics teaching skills. This study examined a 21-hour professional development series for public school preschool teachers on early numeracy, geometry, mathematical reasoning, and teaching pedagogies. This professional development series aimed to help preschool teachers incorporate effective mathematical practices and increase their comfort level in teaching mathematics. Participants …


Art Nights: Reimagining Professional Development As A Ritual, Libba Willcox Nov 2023

Art Nights: Reimagining Professional Development As A Ritual, Libba Willcox

International Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education

Art teachers’ need for connection, passion for artmaking, desire for mentoring, and quest for renewal led me to ask, what happens if we reimagine professional development as ritualized artistic practice? What would occur if our ritual was collaborative and intergenerational? How might ritualized professional development aid the quest for renewal? Pulling imagery and quotes from a larger qualitative and arts-based research study (Willcox, 2017), this visual essay shares what happened when an intergenerational group of art teachers met and engaged in artistic inquiry about their teaching practice. Specifically, it weaves together imagery and quotes to illustrate how our ritual, art …


A Framework For Teaching Computational Thinking In Primary Schools: A Namibian Case Study, Maria M. Ausiku, Machdel C. Matthee Oct 2023

A Framework For Teaching Computational Thinking In Primary Schools: A Namibian Case Study, Maria M. Ausiku, Machdel C. Matthee

The African Journal of Information Systems

Several professional development programs have been designed to train in-service teachers on a computational thinking (CT) curriculum, but few researchers have examined how these affect primary school teachers' self-efficacy and knowledge of CT in emerging economies. This study's objective was to create a framework for the professional development of primary school in-service teachers for the teaching of CT (referred to as professional development for primary computational thinking - PD4PCT) to be integrated into teachers' professional development programs. An initial framework was refined after implementing it at a Namibian school with a group of 14 teachers from five different disciplines (social …


Practitioner Inquiry For Turbulent Times: Learning To Take An Inquiry Stance Toward Teaching Difficult Topics Through A Teacher Inquiry Community, Logan Rutten, Danielle Butville, Wendy Lane Smith, Boaz Dvir Oct 2023

Practitioner Inquiry For Turbulent Times: Learning To Take An Inquiry Stance Toward Teaching Difficult Topics Through A Teacher Inquiry Community, Logan Rutten, Danielle Butville, Wendy Lane Smith, Boaz Dvir

Journal of Practitioner Research

Amid turbulent times and politically polarized communities, many teachers require support if they are to teach or engage with difficult topics in their curricula or professional practices, yet few teachers actually receive any formalized support for addressing such topics. This article responds by describing the work of an inquiry community of inservice educators that was designed to assist teachers in learning to address difficult topics by integrating practitioner inquiry and student inquiry with asset-based and trauma-informed lenses. The article outlines the community’s conceptual foundations then describes how a team of university-based teacher educators facilitated the community’s work. A participating teacher’s …


Navigating The Chasms Between Real And Ideal Literacy Professional Development, Poonam Arya, Kathryn L. Roberts Sep 2023

Navigating The Chasms Between Real And Ideal Literacy Professional Development, Poonam Arya, Kathryn L. Roberts

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

In this study, we examine the supportive and hindering factors that influenced 26 teachers’ implementation of pedagogy learned through a research-based, resource-intensive literacy PD initiative (100+ hours). Through post-intervention interviews, we explore the space between learning and enactment of new practices for literacy teaching and learning. Specifically, we ask, What are teachers’ perceptions of the contextual factors that support and hinder their moving from learning to implementation of literacy PD? Results indicate four primary supportive factors (PD facilitators, communities of practice, schools/administrators, and student affective responses) and three primary hindering factors (circumstantial factors, lack of resources, and mismatches between school …


Teaching In An Unfamiliar Place: A Mixed Methods-Grounded Theory Study On The Experiences Of New Correctional Educators, Nicole Patrie Aug 2023

Teaching In An Unfamiliar Place: A Mixed Methods-Grounded Theory Study On The Experiences Of New Correctional Educators, Nicole Patrie

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

New correctional educators must learn to teach in an unfamiliar correctional environment. In this convergent mixed-methods study, experienced correctional educators in Alberta, Canada reflected on their first 6 months teaching in adult correctional institutions. Teachers initially struggled to do something familiar (teach) in an unfamiliar place, perceiv- ing prisons as non-conducive to education. Seeing the absence of a purpose-built community, they built one or attached to existing non-educational communities. New educators invoked strategies such as engaging in mutual support, connecting with non-education professionals, asking others to demystify institutional culture, and practicing reflexivity. When reflecting on useful training and orientation activities, …


A Professional Development Program For Science Adjunct Faculty: The Mentoring-Learning Community (Mlc), Linda B. Purvis, Jason D. Lang, Julie A. Luft Jul 2023

A Professional Development Program For Science Adjunct Faculty: The Mentoring-Learning Community (Mlc), Linda B. Purvis, Jason D. Lang, Julie A. Luft

Georgia Journal of Science

Institutions of higher education have become increasingly dependent on adjunct faculty. These faculty members are often unfamiliar with current teaching strategies emphasizing an active learning approach. To support science adjunct faculty in learning about active learning, a professional development program was designed and implemented by the authors of this study, the Mentoring-Learning Community. The Mentoring-Learning Community program design was informed by literature regarding the use of professional development programs that focused on adjunct faculty. To determine the impact of this program, participants in the Mentoring-Learning Community were observed and interviewed over one semester. Mentoring-Learning Community participants transformed through all three …


The Developmental Experiences Of Exemplary Statistics Teachers, Douglas Whitaker Jun 2023

The Developmental Experiences Of Exemplary Statistics Teachers, Douglas Whitaker

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

There has been a trend of increased statistical expectations for students and calls for increased statistical preparation for their teachers in recent years, but preparation has not yet reached recommended levels. A similar preparation gap existed at the inception of the Advanced Placement Statistics program, and this study examines a group of statistics teachers identified as exemplary by experts in the field to determine what challenges they faced and how they overcame them. Semi-structured interviews using a Communities of Practice framework (Wenger, 1998) were conducted. The challenges and responses to those challenges are identified, and these have implications for supporting …


Why Teachers Feel Unprepared To Address The Social And Emotional Needs Of Students With Dyslexia, Darlene Breaux Jun 2023

Why Teachers Feel Unprepared To Address The Social And Emotional Needs Of Students With Dyslexia, Darlene Breaux

Tapestry: Journal of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Education

Students with dyslexia simultaneously struggle with both literacy acquisition and poor self-esteem and undergo social-emotional learning difficulties. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore elementary general education teachers’ perceptions regarding the dyslexia training they received for addressing the social and emotional learning (SEL) needs of children with dyslexia. The conceptual framework guiding this study was the five core competencies for SEL developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. The researcher used a qualitative description research design involving semi structured interviews. The population included 10 elementary general education teachers who taught in first through fourth-grade …


Changing Teacher Perceptions And Actions Through Trauma-Responsive Professional Development, Jason A. Smith, Marilynn Quick Jun 2023

Changing Teacher Perceptions And Actions Through Trauma-Responsive Professional Development, Jason A. Smith, Marilynn Quick

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

Most teachers are not trained on how to support students who struggle with trauma. Childhood trauma not only impacts a teacher’s ability to teach, but also threatens their students’ futures. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions and actions when they participated in trauma professional development. Interviews were conducted with 5 teachers and 10 students in a Midwestern urban intermediate/middle school. By the end of the study, teachers stated that they had begun responding to disruptions in more child-centered approaches, and students noticed that their teachers began treating all students more equitably in trauma-informed manners. The …


K-12 Writing Teachers’ Careerspan Development: Participatory Pedagogical Content Knowledge Of Writing, Sarah J. Donovan, Jenn Sanders, Danielle L. Defauw, Joy Myers May 2023

K-12 Writing Teachers’ Careerspan Development: Participatory Pedagogical Content Knowledge Of Writing, Sarah J. Donovan, Jenn Sanders, Danielle L. Defauw, Joy Myers

Literacy Practice and Research

This narrative grounded theory study examines 19 US K–12 teachers’ development of pedagogical content knowledge of writing (PCKW) across their careers. Building on writing pedagogies and career cycle theories, we invited writing teachers to tell stories of critical experiences that contributed to their development. Findings indicate that teachers’ understanding of writing, being writers, and teaching writers were propelled by various critical experiences--both personal and professional. Our model shows that these experiences prompted teachers to engage in participatory PCKW to cultivate development. Implications are that writing teachers need communities of practice, mentors, and ongoing participatory engagements to sustain process pedagogies.


Expressed Willingness Of Stem Teachers To Teach Engineering, Zerrin Doganca Kucuk, Selvet Ece Genek, Hayriye Sinem Bozoglu, M. Sencer Corlu Mar 2023

Expressed Willingness Of Stem Teachers To Teach Engineering, Zerrin Doganca Kucuk, Selvet Ece Genek, Hayriye Sinem Bozoglu, M. Sencer Corlu

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Teaching engineering at the middle and high school levels has been a topic of discussion among scholars regarding the challenges it creates. One of the most critical challenges at the school level is identifying qualified teaching staff to lead engineering courses. The present study explored teachers’ willingness to lead an engineering course and the reasons behind their willingness or unwillingness to do so. The study involved 434 participants, who were enrolled in a STEM professional development program and were diverse regarding their teaching subjects, the grade levels they taught, and the locations of their schools in Turkey. In this mixed-methods …


Understanding The Impact Of Professional Development For A Cohort Of Teachers With Varying Prior Engineering Teaching Experience, Jennifer Kouo, Medha Dalal, Eunsil Lee, Bruk Berhane, Olushola Emiola-Owolabi, Jumoke Ladeji-Osias, Cheryl Beauchamp, Ken Reid, Stacy Klein-Gardner, Adam Carberry Mar 2023

Understanding The Impact Of Professional Development For A Cohort Of Teachers With Varying Prior Engineering Teaching Experience, Jennifer Kouo, Medha Dalal, Eunsil Lee, Bruk Berhane, Olushola Emiola-Owolabi, Jumoke Ladeji-Osias, Cheryl Beauchamp, Ken Reid, Stacy Klein-Gardner, Adam Carberry

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Engineering for US All (e4usa) is a National Science Foundation-funded first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at making engineering more inclusive and accessible to underrepresented populations. The ‘‘for us all’’ mission of e4usa encompasses both students and teachers. Paramount to the success of e4usa was the construction of professional development (PD) experiences to prepare and support teachers with different levels of engineering teaching experience as they implemented the e4usa yearlong course. The perspectives of nine teachers with varying degrees of engineering teaching experience were examined during two PD opportunities to compare experiences and dynamics between the teachers. Data sources consisting of focus groups …


A Creative Approach To Promoting And Discussing Social Emotional Learning, Lori B. Doyle, Jill L. Swisher Mar 2023

A Creative Approach To Promoting And Discussing Social Emotional Learning, Lori B. Doyle, Jill L. Swisher

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

Social emotional learning (SEL) is an important topic in education and a desired area of professional development for teachers. This conceptual essay offers a creative approach in promoting and discussing SEL through the use of haiku poetry. The tenets from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework were synthesized into key concepts and presented as haiku poems as a pedagogical exercise to increase awareness on SEL.


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 …


Explicit Instruction: Evaluating The Fidelity Of A Teacher's Practice Supported By Professional Development And Directive Coaching - A Case Study, Christophe Baco, Marie Bocquillon, Laëtitia Delbart, Antoine Derobertmasure Jan 2023

Explicit Instruction: Evaluating The Fidelity Of A Teacher's Practice Supported By Professional Development And Directive Coaching - A Case Study, Christophe Baco, Marie Bocquillon, Laëtitia Delbart, Antoine Derobertmasure

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Training teachers in evidence-based practice is a societal challenge. We conducted practical action research to investigate the impact of a professional development programme (the aim of which is to train teachers in explicit instruction) established according to the principles of effective professional development on one teacher's practices. A holistic case study was conducted with one teacher randomly selected among a group of volunteers. An original methodology was developed to measure the fidelity of the teacher’s practices to the different teaching practices and stages of explicit instruction. The teacher's practices were filmed on four occasions and analysed using an observation grid …