Education Commons^™

Transition From Brick And Mortar To Online Teaching: Middle-Grade Teachers' Perspectives, Cathy Griffin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and understand how middle-grades teachers describe the transition from brick and mortar to online teaching of middle-grades students. A qualitative, descriptive case study design provided the framework for this study. An investigation into the lived experiences of a group of online middle-grades instructors making the transition from a traditional classroom setting to an online environment was conducted using interviews and online journaling.

The questions guiding this study were (a) How does a middle-grade teacher describe the transition from brick and mortar to online teaching of middle-grades learners? (b) What do middle-school teachers …

Transformational Leadership And A Culture Of Efficacy: A Search For Correlation In The Alabama Two-Year College System, Johnny H. Mcmoy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research project explores the predominant leadership characteristics among community college presidents as measured by Bass and Avolio’s transformational leadership continuum, the degree of collective teacher efficacy among faculty, and any correlation that exists between them. The populations studied are the presidents and faculty of community colleges in Alabama. Two instruments were employed, the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) developed by Bass and Avolio (1995) and Goddard’s CE-SCALE (2000, 2002), as a measure of collective teacher efficacy.

The researcher found evidence of mid-range collective efficacy scores among faculty and strong evidence of pervasive transformational leadership characteristics among college presidents. The researcher …

Inquiry, Efficacy, And Science Education, Heather Christa Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Developing learners who are equipped to think critically about the vast information circulating around them is essential in their preparation for a role in society today. The use of effective inquiry-based instruction is not a widespread practice among K-12 classrooms. Many secondary and post-secondary science instructors see the valuable link between students asking questions and the development of critical thinking. Inquiry-based instruction provides student opportunities to ask questions, design methods of investigation, gather information, and finally reach conclusions based on evidence. However, this instruction style is rarely used in the classroom, particularly in elementary classrooms. This study examines the relationships …

Predicting Registered Health Information Administrator Examination Scores, James Condon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether differences existed among candidates for the Registered Health Information Administrator certification examination that may have characterized the likelihood of acquiring professional certification upon graduation from accredited health information administration education programs. The research was conducted using data acquired from accredited health information administration education programs located across the United States. A total of 197 former student records were obtained and used in the statistical analyses; 118 were employed in correlation analysis and to develop a Registered Health Information Administrator certification examination success prediction model and to establish a 95% Approximate Prediction …

Teachers' Perceptions And Satisfaction With Pbis In A Southeast Georgia School District, Deidra C. Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In today’s educational system, an important concern is student behavior. Problem behaviors can affect students’ academic learning as well as teachers’ instructional time. Many programs and approaches are available to improve student behavior in schools. One school-wide program known as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is designed to help schools create and sustain effective behavioral supports for students. PBIS is a national framework schools can use to help them design and implement behavioral practices for students. It involves all the faculty, staff, and students in a school system. Teachers are important stakeholders in implementing PBIS. If they do not …

The Cultural Studies Of Science Education, Karen D. Chassereau

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In an age of accountability, the demands and constraints placed on science teachers seem insurmountable. Teachers are challenged to provide students with authentic scientific experiences, yet the need to prepare students for high-stakes tests remains. The problem of attrition and job stress in the field of science teaching is growing. As pressures rise, it becomes necessary to understand what the culture of science education is like from the perspective of the science teacher. This study sought to define the culture of science education and determine how this culture informs teacher practice in the secondary science classroom. This qualitative case study …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Professional Development Activities Which Result In Successful Integration Of Classroom Instructional Technologies, Lisa Blackmon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent research demonstrates the expectation of the use of technology in schools. Advances in technology often require teachers to learn new methods of teaching while trying to keep up with rapidly increasing technological changes. Unfortunately, many teachers report being inadequately prepared to utilize instructional technologies in their classrooms. School leaders have the complex task of providing effective training that meets their teachers’ needs. In this quantitative study, the author sought to determine teachers’ perceptions of professional development activities which result in successful classroom integration of instructional technologies in schools. Teachers from two school districts in Georgia were surveyed. Data were …

Transferability And Alignment Of Program Exemplars In Teacher Preparation, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher preparation needs to be revamped to adequately prepare teachers for P-12 classrooms. Public charter schools are experiencing challenges that include high teacher attrition rates and staffing difficulties in a rapidly growing sector, as well as obstacles for teachers to obtain certification. Thus, charter school teachers are seeking a “choice” in teacher preparation to meet the innovative needs of the sector. To address critical shortages of highly effective teachers, states are offering both traditional and nontraditional teacher preparation to earn licensure. The goal of this study was to determine if program exemplars from traditional teacher preparation were transferable to, and …

Two Small Rural Schools Under Siege: An Oral History 1969-2012, Deborah Costlow Cartee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is an oral history of the small rural community of Portal, Georgia, its two local schools, and its residents’ successful fight to keep these community schools. Guided by the theoretical framework of critical theory and the works of critical researchers, namely Paulo Freire (1998), Michael Apple (2006), Jean Anyon (2005), and Henry Giroux (2001), one purpose of this study was to discover what we can learn from the experiences of citizens in one small rural community who have been affected by consolidation. Since the account of the relationship between the Portal community and its hometown schools remains untold, …

An Exploratory Study Of Principals' And Teachers' Perceptions Of School Work Conditions In Sinclair County, Georgia, Veronica Lawrence

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study investigated principals’ (n = 16) and teachers’ (n = 362) perceptions of five work conditions domains: Professional Development, Facilities and Resources, Leadership, Empowerment, and Use of Time. This quantitative study used two instruments: principal work conditions survey and teacher work conditions survey to collect data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a factorial analysis of variance. Findings revealed observed differences in principals’ and teachers’ perceptions of school work conditions. The factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed statistically significant differences for domain scores of Facilities and Resources, Leadership, and Empowerment by type of school. No significant differences …

Principals Roles And Responsibilities In Technology Integration In Rural Georgia, Christie Dunham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the elementary school principal’s roles and responsibilities in the use of technology for instructional purposes in Title I rural schools. Three principals, three technology coordinators and 8 teachers in the Southeastern area of Georgia participated in the study. Interview questions for the participants were created after a careful review of the literature on the subject and with input from leadership professors at Georgia Southern University. An analysis was conducted on data provided by the participants from the interview questionnaire and analyzed as separate entities to authenticate results.

Data from principals’ interviews …

Social Emotional Competence And Teacher Stress, Leslie Carole Forcina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher stress and continuing high attrition rates for the teaching profession have significant multiple impacts, although arguably the most important is student achievement. Research indicates that as teacher stress increases to high levels, teacher effectiveness decreases. Attempts to reduce stress have historically focused on organizational or systemic change with minimal success. There remains a clear and distinct call to pursue individual factors that may influence teachers’ abilities to moderate stress. Social emotional competence (SEC) is a set of skills that allows individuals to understand themselves, their emotions, the social context as well as relationships and decision making. Existing research has …

Relationship Of Collaborative School Culture And School Achievement, Karen Durrence Bland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this correlational, quantitative study was to examine the magnitude and direction of the relationship between collaborative school culture and school achievement in rural, economically disadvantaged middle schools utilizing a 6, 7, 8 grade configuration. Survey data was collected from 263 teachers representing 12 rural, economically disadvantaged middle schools in the state of Georgia. Data collection tools included the Learning Community Culture Indicator (LCCI) 4.0 survey developed by Williams, Matthews, Stewart, and Hilton (2007) and the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (GCRCT).

The study generated data from 12 middle schools regarding the overall functionality level of their collaborative …

High School Administrators' Perception Of The Effectiveness Of Professional Development, Rodney J. Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The importance of professional development has been emphasized in recent legislation and accountability acts. As Georgia competes for Race to the Top Funds, high school administrators are being required to attend various professional development activities. These may address the new teacher evaluation system, common core, and techniques on how to close the gap between high-achieving students and students with a learning disability. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to understand high school administrators’ perceptions of the effectiveness of professional development. This qualitative study used a case study design with purposive sampling. Participants included twelve high school administrators currently …

Using Multicultural Literature To Develop Empathy And Compassion In Preservice Teachers: A First Step In Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers, Lyndall Harrison Warren

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study explored possibilities for change in the Early Childhood Teacher Education Program in the John H. Lounsbury School of Education at Georgia College & State University (GC&SU). Concern for the lack of diversity in the teaching population increased when the demographics for preservice teachers were examined. Reports by Marilyn Cochran-Smith, Danne Davis, and Kim Fries (2004) show that there is an overwhelming presence of whiteness in teacher education. These data show that, depending upon the institution and location, 80-93% of the students enrolled in collegiate education programs are white (Cochran-Smith, Davis, & Fries, 2004). These phenomena are represented in …