Education Commons^™

Project Study Secondary Teachers’ Perspectives In Supporting English Language Learners, Yushica T. Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem for this study was that an average of 60% of eighth-grade English Language Learners (ELL) in one Virginia county were not meeting reading proficiency based on Virginia Standards of Learning. A basic qualitative design was used to explore teachers' perspectives on their successes, challenges, and the resources they need to teach eighth-grade ELLs in reading. The resulting project was a three-day culturally responsive professional development training for English language (EL) teachers. Krashen's language acquisition theory was the conceptual framework used to explore teachers' perspectives on their successes, challenges, and the resources necessary to teach eighth-grade ELLs. Learning should …

Curriculum And Instructional Strategies To Strengthen A Smoking Cessation Intervention Program, Therese Lynetta Burrell Prehay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a British Overseas territory, a smoking cessation program was implemented in 2014 and had not been evaluated since inception. The problem that was addressed in this study was that despite the implementation of the “I Can Quit” program, it was unknown which curriculum and instructional strategy interventions participants thought were useful in supporting smoking cessation. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the “I Can Quit” participants’ perspectives on the curriculum and instructional strategies used to support the smoking cessation intervention. With Knowles’s adult learning theory as the conceptual framework, participants’ perspectives on the curriculum and …

Training And Supporting Early Childhood Providers In Inclusive Settings, Kimberly K. Bennett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood providers care for infants and toddlers with developmental delays and special needs in their programs and classrooms. This study addressed the problem that there is insufficient professional development (PD) training for early childhood providers working with infants and toddlers with special needs in inclusive settings. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand what training early childhood providers report they have had, and what training early childhood providers perceive that they need to support infants and toddlers with special needs in inclusive settings. Using the whole teacher approach as the conceptual framework, the research questions explored …

K–5 Principal Challenges Supporting Classroom Teachers In Emergency Distance Education, Catherine Marie Mlodzik

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools and showed how unprepared school principals were for such a rapid pivot to online. According to recent studies, principals’ roles were managerial rather than instructional, and the pivot away from the manager role toward instructional leaders, specifically related to technology, revealed many principals were unprepared to support teachers. Research has yet to establish the specific challenges related to technology implementation that occurred in this role shift for principals. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore K–5 school principals’ perceptions about the challenges they faced relating to technology leadership during …

Perceptions Of Instructional Faculty Regarding Their Professional Development Program, Brenda Gonzalez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed through this study is the lack of understanding of the instructional faculty members’ perspectives at southeastern university (SEU, pseudonym) on the strengths and professional activities for improvement of professional development program. The purpose of this study was to investigate how instructional faculty members at SEU perceive the strengths and opportunities for improvement of the professional development program. The conceptual framework for this program evaluation design study was based on Andragogy Theory. Fifteen instructional faculty members who participated in professional development activities and teach at least one course per year at SEU were interviewed. NVivo was used for …

K–2 Teachers’ Perspectives On Managing Student Behaviors In Inclusive Classrooms, Hailey Camp Kilcrease

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since the start of the full inclusion movement, K–2 general education teachers have been overwhelmed with their behavior management due to the increased numbers of students with disabilities in their classroom who display emotional/behavioral challenges. This basic qualitative study aimed to explore K–2 teachers’ perspectives on having a broad range of students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms, along with what barriers and facilitators K–2 teachers describe as affecting their ability to manage behaviors in the classroom. M.A. Barnes’ inclusive education conceptual framework supported and guided the research study and data analyses. The sample for this study was 12 K–2 general …

Development Of A Work-Conduct Training For Formerly Incarcerated Individuals, Katharine J. Robershaw

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At the nonprofit organization that was the site of this study, Agency A, formerly incarcerated employees’ lack of appropriate professional work conduct was preventing them from maintaining successful employment. The purpose of the study was to develop a program to train Agency A’s formerly incarcerated employees about appropriate professional work conduct. The practice-focused questions for this qualitative study were used to determine topics to be included in the training program, reasons for inappropriate work conduct, and interventions already in place to assist formerly incarcerated employees manage their behaviors. The study was guided by the paradigm for counterproductive behaviors and adult …

Preschool Teachers’ Perspectives On Implementing The Center On The Social And Emotional Foundations For Early Learning Teaching Pyramid Strategies To Address Challenging Behaviors In The Classroom, Maria Suarez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Preschool teachers in a small county in a southern state are among a growing number of teachers who have expressed concern about not having the skills needed to support young children with challenging behaviors. The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) teaching pyramid was developed to help preschool teachers minimize behavioral problems in the classroom. There is a need for preschool teachers to implement strategies for addressing challenging behaviors in the classroom. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of preschool teachers on implementing the strategies of the CSEFEL pyramid to …

Relationships Between Pedagogical Practices And Affective States For Effective Teaching During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Insights From University Professors, Carola Bruna, Verónica Villarroel, Alejandro Sánchez, Joaquin Cortes, Pablo Castro-Carrasco, María Leonor Conejeros-Solar

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze how pedagogical practices and affective states during emergency remote teaching influence professors’ perspectives on their capabilities and the professor-student relationship.

Method: We used a nonexperimental quantitative design, collecting data through an online survey during the first year of the pandemic. Participants were recruited using a non-probability sampling method. A total of 636 university professors from Chilean universities participated. We performed descriptive and correlation analyses between variables. Also, to gain a deeper understanding of the factors influencing perceptions of the professors’ competence and the professor–student relationship, we conducted linear regression models.

Results: A higher perception …

A Qualitative Examination Of Teachers’ Experiences Building Student Resilience In Rural Kenya, Priscilla Ann Stafford Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students in rural and underresourced school settings often perform poorly due to adversity. This is evident in subcounty schools where challenges such as domestic violence and low socioeconomic status further impact students' academic performance. Researchers have demonstrated that the relationship between students and teachers is instrumental in building resilience and developing social emotional competence. By fostering resilience, teachers can play a crucial role in mitigating these challenges. However, few studies have examined teacher experience in building resilience in students through a qualitative study. Using a generic qualitative descriptive study and grounded in the theory of resilience, semistructured interviews were completed …

Examining Technology Use And Competence Of Higher Education Academics During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Devrim Akgunduz, Aysegul Kinik Topalsan

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: The present study describes the utilization frequency and competencies of educational technologies among academics at a university in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Participants were 391 faculty members and lecturers working in the faculties and vocational schools of a Turkish university during the 2020–2021 academic year. A survey included questions regarding the use of educational technologies and perceived competency in the use of those technologies.

Results: Academics are more familiar with distance education than hybrid or blended learning. Academics reported that blended learning, hybrid learning, and distance education provide more effective education on integrating technology but report that …

Caregivers' Attachment Relationships With Infants And Toddlers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rebecca Ellen Roth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health and safety protocols related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its variants continue to influence practices in infant–toddler programs one western state in the United States; caregivers in the state are concerned about attachment relationships with infants and toddlers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore caregiver perceptions of attachment relationships related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its variants and the influence of health and safety protocols on caregiver practices. The conceptual framework combined attachment and biobehavioral theories. Data from interviews with four infant and six toddler caregivers were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by searching for patterns …

Challenges To Inclusive Education For Students With Disabilities In Japanese Higher Education Institutions, Karina Dyliaeva, Steven B. Rothman, Nader Ghotbi

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objective: The purpose of the study was to elucidate the current challenges to inclusive education (IE) at the university level in Japan, thereby addressing the gap between policy and the provision of inclusion.

Method: This qualitative case study of a private university supporting inclusive policies in Japan included content analysis of data collected through semi-structured interviews to ascertain themes.

Results: The four identified themes were: inclusion practices as a conceptual challenge, conflicting practice of reasonable accommodations, inclusion management gaps, and barriers to and opportunities for inclusive education.

Conclusions: There is a significant disconnect between legal obligation and actual implementation of …

High School Administrators’ Perspectives On Reducing Chronic Absenteeism Among African American Male Adolescents, Torrie Siemone Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem for this study was that school administrators in an East Coast urban public school district in the United States inconsistently implemented leadership strategies to reduce the chronic absences of African American male high school students. Chronic absenteeism rates had led to decreased graduation rates and higher drug use and school dropout rates in the district. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore high school administrators' perspectives on implementing situational theory strategies to address the challenges of reducing the chronic absenteeism of African American male high school students. Hersey and Blanchard’s theory of situational leadership …

Investigating Effective Instructional Strategies To Increase Reading Comprehension Of Ells, Caroline Kosho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High school classroom teachers with English language learners (ELLs) assigned to their classrooms might not be using effective instructional strategies to increase reading comprehension scores of ELLs. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the use of strategies that high school classroom teachers use to teach cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) to ELLs who have difficulty reading for understanding. The conceptual framework guiding this study was Cummin’s second language acquisition theory. The basic qualitative research design was guided by two research questions intended to determine the effectiveness of strategies used by the high school classroom teachers to …

Effects Of Inclusive Prekindergarten Programs On Developmental Skills Of Typically Developing Children, Danita Duhart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 set forth guidelines for inclusionary practices to ensure that students with disabilities were educated with their nondisabled peers. In early childhood education, there was a paucity of information that addressed, in quantifiable terms, the effect of inclusion on the developmental skills of typically developing children. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental, nonequivalent study was to examine to what extent the prekindergarten program delivery setting, inclusion versus noninclusion, effects the developmental domains of typically developing children. The theoretical framework was based on Arnold Gesell’s maturational theory of development. The developmental domains for typically …

Evidence-Based Leadership Practices Of Reentry Program Leaders To Reduce Recidivism Among African American Women, Mabrey Raymond Duff

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The rate of recidivism among African American women is disproportionately higher than among European American or Latino women in a southeastern state. The problem identified was the high prevalence of recidivism among African American women despite undergoing reentry programs. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the practices of reentry program leaders in a southeastern state that reduce recidivism among formerly incarcerated African American women. Evidence-based leadership development provided a conceptual framework for assessing the results of practices in the reentry program. Current reentry program leaders in a southeastern state were asked to describe the leadership practices …

Executive Functioning Of Kindergarteners As Predicted By Parenting Style, Parental Warmth, And Parents’ Socioeconomic Status, Kimberly D. Barrow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An academic achievement disparity exists between children from low-income and high-income households, and this gap progressively expands over time. A child’s executive functioning skills and interactions with their parents can contribute to this deficit. This static group comparison and quantitative correlational research study was conducted to examine the effects of parental warmth, parenting style, and parents’ socioeconomic status (SES) and the impact on kindergarten students’ working memory and inhibition executive functioning skills. The research was guided by Bandura’s social learning theory and Baumrind parenting style theory. The data sources were online self-reported surveys completed by parents with children in kindergarten. …

Challenges That Educators Face When Providing English Language Arts Instruction To K-5 Elementary Students In Title 1 Schools, Shari A. Clarke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students in Title 1 school districts continue to fall far behind their peers academically in comparison to neighboring suburban districts. School reform has unsuccessfully attempted to improve test scores by consistently changing reading curriculums and mandating the use of various resources that fail when implemented. Struggling school districts must use research-based strategies that include educators’ perspectives to best identify how to successfully increase student achievement. Test scores reveal that schools in a Title 1 school district in northern New Jersey are lacking proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA). The purpose of this study was to examine the challenges that educators …

High School Principals’ Perspectives Of Job Stressors That Influence Job Satisfaction, Lonice Priester

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The role of the school principal has become increasingly stressful and the problem is that school principals in a large school district in Maryland experience multiple job stressors that are contributing to low job satisfaction. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore high school principals’ perspectives of stressors that affect their job satisfaction as well as what support systems they believe are necessary to increase their job satisfaction. An additional purpose was to identify methods that could be used to reduce such stress. Herzberg’s theory of motivation, which outlines how job factors motivate workgroups, was used to …

Strategies For Reducing Dropout Rates Of First-Generation College Students, Tanya Washington Bostic

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a community college in the state of Florida, student retention has become a critical concern because more than half of the first-year first-generation students fail to graduate. That rate is four times higher than for other first-year students. Guided by Tinto’s Student Integration Model as the conceptual framework, this intrinsic qualitative case study was conducted to investigate factors that students, faculty, and staff perceive to contribute to the high dropout rates among first-generation students at the local site. Additionally, this study was conducted to identify strategies to reduce first-year, first-generation college student dropout rates. Data was collected from participants …

First- And Second-Grade Teachers’ Use Of Data-Driven Decision-Making For Guided Reading, Caroline J. Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem in this study was that first- and second-grade teachers are not using relevant and timely data, specifically running records, analysis of oral reading errors, self-correction rates, and word accuracy, as well as the student zone of proximal development (ZPD) in guided reading instruction. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how first- and second-grade teachers use data-driven decision-making (DDDM) and ZPD to inform guided reading instruction. The conceptual frameworks in this study were DDDM and ZPD, as they collectively provided a lens for gathering rich data on instructional decision-making processes. Research questions addressed how first- …

Middle And High School Administrators’ Perceptions On The Use Of Culturally Responsive Leadership Practices Related To Student Discipline, Amanda Mccullough

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educators in the United States have become increasingly concerned about students who are suspended out of school because they miss classroom instruction and are then less likely to graduate. The problem addressed in this study was that school administrators continued to use exclusionary practices for discipline negating more culturally responsive practices. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore middle and high school administrators’ perceptions on their approaches to discipline and culturally responsive practices when considering disciplinary consequences as an alternative to out of school suspension. Culturally responsive school leadership served as the conceptual frameworks for this study. …

Elementary Teacher Perspectives Regarding Leadership Practices That Supported Creation Of A Dual Language Public School, Angelica Ozuna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increase in the enrollment of elementary school students who do not speak English as their first language has led to initiatives to provide effective instruction for these students which require effective leadership. The problem is that leadership practices have been unsuccessful in supporting dual language elementary school teachers, and minimal research has explored teachers’ perspectives of leadership in this area. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore perspectives of rural public school teachers regarding leadership practices they found effective and ineffective in creation of a new dual language elementary school. Eleven participants answered 10 semistructured interview …

Teachers’ Self-Efficacy When Instructing Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders In Inclusive Classrooms, Maysoon Atra

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers in American public schools have been challenged with implementing effective instructional practices for students with disabilities (SWDs) in inclusive classrooms. Among the broad category of SWDs, students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs) are among those whose social and academic progress continues to be of concern. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand perceptions of general education teachers’ self-efficacy when instructing middle school students with EBDs in inclusive classrooms within a northeastern school district in New Jersey. The conceptual framework for this study was Bandura’s social cognitive theory. The research question involved how general education teachers …

Using Self-Regulated Learning To Increase Academic Performance In Ncaa Student-Athletes, Lee Ann Grandison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem in this project study is that too many student-athletes earn less than a 2.39-grade point average at the study university. The purpose of the project study was to evaluate the self-regulated learning (SRL) skills of student-athletes to determine if there was a statistical difference in skills used among academically challenged and academically successful student-athletes. The study involved using Barry Zimmerman’s theory of SRL. An experimental, descriptive research design was employed to study the SRL skills of student-athletes at the study university. Participants completed the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire to determine their study habits and SRL skills (N …

Exploring The Experiences And Practices Of Midwestern High School English Teachers, Melea Shimkus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem under study was that in a state in the midwestern United States, there was a disparity in reading scores between secondary schools of similar demographics. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the strategies and approaches used by secondary teachers whose students’ reading achievements exceeded those of other students. Shulman’s pedagogical content knowledge and Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy were used as the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected from one-on-one interviews with 10 participants and analyzed with open coding. The findings indicated how to combine content and pedagogy; feeling efficacious about teaching had …

K–12 School Principals’ Perceptions Regarding Leadership Practices Supporting Teachers Who Experience Burnout, Veronica Parish

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Excessive workplace stress and burnout have been persistent issues for teachers in the public school setting. The problem addressed in this project study was that K–12 school principals are inconsistently implementing leadership practices (LPs) to support teachers who experience burnout in two public school districts under study. Guided by the instructional leadership theory of Hallinger and Murphy, the purpose of this project study was to examine the perceptions of K–12 school principals regarding their implementation of LPs to support teachers who experience burnout. In this basic qualitative research design 10 K–12 principals from a local school district were purposefully selected …

Intersecting Identities And Adjustment To The Primary-Secondary School Transition: An Integrative Review, Joanne Harris, Rebecca Nowland, Megan Todd

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The primary-to-secondary school transition is a milestone for children because of the multiple changes they must navigate. Although most adjust successfully, approximately 30% of children have difficulties during this transition. Intersecting identities are also likely to influence how children navigate the adjustment of the school transfer, but there have been no syntheses of existing evidence relating to the impacts of intersectionality. We conducted an integrative review using eight databases (Education database, ERIC, ProQuest Education, PsychInfo, Scopus, SocIndex, Sociology Database, and Web of Science) and searched for quantitative or qualitative studies that examined how intersecting identities impact children’s self-concept, mental health, …

Understanding Faculty Experiences In Implementing Accessible Course Design Strategies, Stacy Rice

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Faculty who have experience working with individuals with disabilities are likely to have positive feelings about accessibility however, that does not always lead to faculty adoption of accessible course design practices. A gap existed in academic research about what was known of faculty experiences in the implementation of accessible course design practices at a 4-year university in the Midwest. Exploring faculty experience gave insight to future programming needs. Guided by Mezirow’s transformational learning theory, this qualitative project study explored faculty experiences while implementing accessible course design practices to improve access for students with disabilities. Sixteen faculty participated in 1:1 interviews …