Education Commons^™

The Impact Of Common Core Mathematics Professional Development On Elementary Mathematics Teaching Self-Efficacy And The Resulting Effects On Their Student Achievement, Alissa Smith Lee

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to examine the impact of professional development on elementary mathematics teaching self-efficacy as well as the influence of teacher self-efficacy on student achievement. Statistical t tests were used to analyze the dispersion of the teachers’ personal mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs (PMTE) and mathematics teaching outcome expectancy efficacy beliefs (MTOE). To develop a broader perspective, a qualitative analysis of interview data was implemented. Unlike the results from the quantitative data, the qualitative data in this study revealed that meaningful participation in professional development increased teacher performance as well as enhanced their mathematical teaching efficacy. …

Educating Our Educators: How Teachers Understand Themselves As Adult Learners And Perceive Their Professional Learning Experiences, Desirae` Khampanya

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study investigated how teachers understand themselves as adult learners and perceive their professional learning experiences within a rural school district in North Carolina. This study was a replication of Fitzgerald’s (2014) dissertation and sought to extend the generalizability of the original study. An explanatory mixed-methods design was used, and the two sources of data collected included an online survey and virtual interviews. The results from this study indicated that almost all participating teachers learned best when the core adult learning principles (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2015) were applied to their professional learning experiences, but less than half of those …

The Impact Of Blended Professional Learning Focused On Total Physical Response Storytelling (Tprs®) On Teacher Perceptions And Practices, April Dawn Debord

Education Dissertations and Projects

Professional learning plays an integral role in every educator’s career. Studies show that traditional workshop professional learning in a one-round session without follow-up training is not effective (Ball & Cohen, 1999), yet this type of professional learning still comprises the bulk of professional development offerings. This study sought to discover the impact of providing blended professional learning with coaching on teacher perception, teacher knowledge, classroom practice, and student learning. Participating instructors from various Grades 9-12 backgrounds received asynchronous virtual training in the TPRS® method and Marzano’s (2004) vocabulary learning strategies. The training was delivered via the Canvas Learning Management System. …

Perceptions Of The Impact Of Quality Professional Development On The Sustainability Of A One-To-One Computing Initiative At The High School Level, Kerry Morrison

Education Dissertations and Projects

It has been said that education is the key to success, and today’s youth are tomorrow’s human resources. This is the 21st century; and students, who will be the human resources of tomorrow, are being prepared for jobs that may not even exist today. Legislators, policy makers, and researchers have encouraged methods to ensure teachers deliver high quality instruction, including requiring that teachers complete specific training, possess a minimum level of content knowledge, and use curriculum materials and professional development resources available from schools and districts (Hill, Blazar, & Lynch, 2015). As a result, teachers need to be exposing students …

Putting Experience To Work: Leveraging Student Attributes And Abilities In The Development Of An Adult Learner Professional Readiness Experience Program, Erin E. Cook

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the project was to provide an opportunity for adult learners at Gardner-Webb University to collectively engage in professional development within their program of study. Specifically, the program was designed to harness an adult learner’s prior knowledge, skills, and life experiences as an enhancement to his or her future professional work.

At the beginning of the project, no established professional development program was available for adult learners. The development of the Adult Learner Professional Readiness Experience Program (AL-PREP) allowed the aforementioned purpose to align with Gardner-Webb curriculum.

Goals, objectives, and data collection methods were established in order to …

Writing Focused Professional Development For Content-Area Teachers: The Effects Of Writing Instruction On Content-Area Student Achievement, Amanda Edwards Whatley

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of writing on the content areas when coupled with ongoing professional development and support for content-area teachers. Research shows that writing is an essential skill for success in and beyond the school setting. Research further indicates that writing plays an important role in student learning through its development of cognitive processes; however, in general, writing as a mode of learning is not a focus of either pre or in-service teacher training. As such, writing beyond note-taking and fill-in-the-blank activities is not necessarily a strategy utilized in content-area teacher classrooms. This …

Analysis Of School Counselor Leadership Practices Through The Lens Of Bolman And Deal’S Four-Framework Model, Patrice Suzette Banks-Rogers

Education Dissertations and Projects

School counselors play an integral role in school reform. School counselor leadership is key to academic, personal/social, and career readiness of all students in a school. This nonexperimental, quantitative study explored the following research questions: (1) What is the relationship between school counselors’ primary leadership orientation and specific demographic factors (current grade level served, total number of years as a counselor, and prior teaching experience); (2) What is the relationship between school counselors’ primary leadership orientation and actual and perceived job responsibilities; and (3) What is the relationship between school counselors’ primary leadership orientation and school counselors’ professional development preferences? …

Case Study Of The Classroom Culture That Impacts Teacher Efficacy Of Secondary Level Teachers Of English Language Learners, Connie Marie Davis Banks

Education Dissertations and Projects

Throughout the United States a dramatic shift in demographics is taking place, similar to the changes of the early 20th century, as thousands of immigrants cross the threshold of Ellis Island (Karathanos, 2009). Undergoing a greater makeover is the culture of classrooms and American teachers who have seen, firsthand, an increase of more than 60% of English language learner (ELL) students over the past decade (Ballantyne, Sanderman, & Levy, 2008). The purpose of this study was to develop a more in-depth understanding as to whether mainstream teachers from a school district located in upstate South Carolina perceived themselves to be …

Instructional Coaches' Perceptions Of The Extent To Which Varied Professional Learning Experiences Impact Their Efficacy, Magdalena Steytler

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the limited body of research on the factors that impact the ability of instructional coaches to be highly effective in their multi-faceted roles. Specifically, the study examined the perceptions of instructional coaches regarding the effectiveness of varied professional learning experiences in addressing their own professional development needs and how instructional coaches interpreted their role and function as well as the knowledge and skills they deemed essential in performing their duties.

This mixed- methods study was conducted in the Piedmont area of North Carolina, it involved three data collection instruments: a survey …

Factors Influencing Teachers’ Technology Self-Efficacy, Aaron Slutsky

Education Dissertations and Projects

This mixed-method research study was designed to expand the knowledge of teachers’ technology self-efficacy as it relates to integrating technology in the classroom. This study examined teachers’ levels of technology self-efficacy, identified specific factors affecting their current level, and examined the role and impact professional learning opportunities have on levels of technology self-efficacy.

The researcher utilized the Computer Technology Integration Survey to identify technology self-efficacy levels of teachers at two middle schools and one high school. Participants were then selected to participate in personal interviews and/or focus groups. Interviews and focus groups were coded using open coding. Results were triangulated …

An Investigation Of The North Carolina Center For The Advancement Of Teaching And Its Possible Influence On Experienced Teacher Retention: A Companion Dissertation, Jennifer Blalock White

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this companion, qualitative case study was to examine the degree to which the residential professional development model at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) possibly influenced the retention of experienced teachers. The researcher sought to discover the ways and to what degree NCCAT had discharged its mission as a program of professional development, as well as understanding what experienced teacher participants’ perceptions were on how the NCCAT experience differed from other forms of professional development.

Field study observational data, participant interview data, individual journal entry data, and document analysis informed this study. Themes …

The Impact Of Instructional Rounds Professional Development On Teacher Self-Efficacy, Melessa B. Widener

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of instructional rounds professional development on teacher self-efficacy. The scope of this study was a qualitative case study including interviews with teachers who had participated in instructional rounds professional development in a rural district in the foothills of North Carolina. The methodology included interviews with two teacher leaders from all elementary schools implementing Responsiveness to Instruction (RtI) and teachers at the Early College who participated in instructional rounds professional learning through the New Schools Project. The findings include teachers' quotes from the transcriptions of the interviews as supporting the research …

The Evaluation Of Impact The South Carolina System For Teacher And Student Advancement Professional Development Model Has On Teacher Dispositions, Andrew Hooker

Education Dissertations and Projects

Education is continually looking for ways to increase student achievement. This is appropriate because the goal of education is to increase student achievement. Student achievement has continued to be unpredictable throughout the country due to the many factors which present themselves throughout the educational process.

The purpose of this dissertation was to look at a specific professional development model, South Carolina System for Teacher and Student Advancement (SCTAP), to measure the impact this model had on teacher dispositions. The following research question guided this study: To what extent does the SCTAP professional development model impact teacher disposition within the following: …

An Examination Of The Perceptions Leading To The Sustainability Of Professional Learning Communities In A Rural School District, Mildred T. Bankhead-Smith

Education Dissertations and Projects

Principals and teacher leaders are expected to provide many learning opportunities for the colleagues with which they work and for the students they teach. The model employed to empower teachers to grow in the education profession and improve collaboration among colleagues and facilitate collegial conversation is the Professional Learning Community (PLC). The PLC model is exercised in many schools throughout the United States. As schools employee the PLC model, levels of leadership change, and teachers may or may not grow professionally. Though schools attempt to implement positive change, the sustainability of professional development can be in jeopardy.

This non-experimental, quantitative …