Education Commons^™

Teacher Self-Perceptions Of Skills And Beliefs Using Technology In Classroom Practice, Geri R. Gillespy

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

New technology and innovations over the last decade have created a global economy that incorporates people communicating and making connections all over the world, twenty-four hours a day. With this continuous drive in society, there is added pressure to integrate more technology in the classroom and into the hands of students. Although there is a great push to add technology in education, studies demonstrate that teachers are reluctant to modify and change their current practice. Educational leaders, politicians, and district administration are spending valuable resources on devices to drive daily instruction in schools where teachers tend to have more of …

Social Media As A Personal Learning Network For Professional Development: Teachers In International Schools Use And Perspectives, Shannon H. Doak

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Traditional professional development methods are not optimal for international school educators because of isolation, lack of funds and time to attend, disconnected content and inability to make a difference in the pedagogical approaches teachers use. The creation of online Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) has been suggested as an augment to or a replacement for traditional approaches. The purpose of this mixed methods study was three-fold: (a) to discover if international school educators are using social media for professional learning and if so, what tools they are choosing to use, (b) to discover if a relationship exists between the use of …

Teacher Candidate Psychological Insight And Capacity For Change: Developing A Professional Identity, Richard Bradley Coats

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Research in the field of teacher education has recently found that the formation of teacher candidate’s sense of professional identity is an integral part of their development as a future educator, yet few programs explicitly address it (Beauchamp & Thomas, 2009). The purpose of this study was to examine teacher candidates’ ability to reflect on self and others, and the influence of psychological insight on the development of a professional identity. The study took place in the Pacific Northwest at an accredited university in the Northern Rocky Mountain region. The six participants selected for this study were undergraduate Elementary Education …

Development Of A Professional Learning Framework To Improve Teacher Practice In Technology Integration, Donna Marie Ledford

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Technology is now considered a critical component and an integral part of a high-quality education (Ertmer & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2010). Teachers must be equipped to handle the transactional relationship and dynamics of integrating technology in the classroom (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). Professional development should be designed and implemented to improve instruction and ensure all students are afforded the opportunity to learn effectively using technology. The problem is that current staff development models designed to help teachers integrate technology into their instruction have not resulted in the effective transformation of instructional practices to utilize technology as part of the teaching and learning …

Exploring The Reflective Practice Among Saudi Female In-Service Teachers, Ghada Almazrawi

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the reflective practice among Saudi female in-service teachers. The purpose of this research was to examine the reflective practice skills and attitudes that are used by Saudi teachers. It observed the voice of Saudi teachers during their reflection on their daily practice. Then, this study used the teachers’ narratives to understand how they actually use reflective teaching skills in their classrooms. This study followed convergent parallel mixed methods research design where quantitative and qualitative data were collected separately but concurrently. The study participants were chosen by following the process of stratified random sampling to provide proportional representation …

A Comparison Of The Perceptions Of Music Educators And School Administrators Regarding Trends In Secondary Curricular Offerings And Implications On Student Body Participation, Leigh Falconer

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to understand the perceptions of music educators and school administrators regarding current practices in curricular offerings as they pertain to music education. These included experienced and anticipated changes to the music curriculum, music education participation rates, barriers to music participation, and school and music course ethnic composition. From a regional perspective, music teachers and administrators were surveyed to determine if perceptions regarding any of the above items varied significantly between the groups. Total potential subjects were selected through random stratified sampling (in Washington) or all music educators (Oregon and Idaho) (n = 922). …

Examining Influences Of A University Writing Course On Teachers' Dispositions, Knowledge, And Literacy Practices, Cheryle Anne Dismuke

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Lack of progress in student writing achievement has been linked to the variability in teachers' instructional practice. This mixed-methods study examines the links between university coursework in writing instruction and the dispositions, skills, and knowledge of twelve practicing teachers, grades 1-6; six of which participated in the course and six who did not. Data from response-guided interviews, daily logs, structured classroom observations, and follow-up interviews have been analyzed, compared, and integrated. Analyses found significant differences between groups for instruction in the writing processes, self-regulation skills, use of social interaction, and writing in multiple genres across the curriculum. Further analysis found …

Searching For Patterns Of Discourse In A Sea Of Professional Development: Professional Learning And Teacher Discourse, Brian T. Whitney

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Professional development, like a sea of changing tides, ebbs and flows through a myriad of professional trends. Some of these trends have disenfranchised teachers from the core of professional learning while others have empowered teachers to confront change with passion and courage. As collaboration continues to gain popularity as an empowering and effective route to professional learning, scrutinizing the effects of professional development on teacher discourse will ensure desired outcomes are achieved.

While collaboration holds the power to break down some of the isolation that exists in the teaching profession, talk alone, void of inquiry and reflection, will not necessarily …