Education Commons^™

Ethics In Literature: A Case Study Of Hades And Persephone, Mckenzie A. Howard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increased ethical scrutiny on art in the modern era places an emphasis on how those art forms are being taught in the classroom. This thesis seeks to answer the question: how do we teach ethics, if we should at all, when we teach literature to a modern audience? This thesis explores this question by looking at how modern adaptations of an ancient text, the “Hymn to Demeter,” change the ethical issues in the original text, to show the relevance of these issues in the source text and the modern adaptations. Through an argument that the ethical concerns are often …

Perceived Levels Of Teaching Self-Efficacy Among Advanced Ces Doctoral Students Engaging In External Pedagogical Experiences, Erika Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study examined factors of internal preparation practices (i.e., coursework in college teaching, fieldwork in college teaching, and frequency of supervision) and external pedagogical experiences (i.e., holding a bachelor’s or master’s degree in teaching and adjunct faculty experiences in higher education) and their potential effects on teaching self-efficacy among counselor education and supervision doctoral students. This study identified both significant and non-significant relationships between the stated variables. Contrary to previous research (Suddeath et al., 2020), internal preparation practices did not significantly predict scores of teaching self-efficacy among this population. However, the findings suggest that participants holding a bachelor’s or …

Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs And Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching: How Teachers' Mkt Shifts In Planning And Impacts Their Beliefs And Instructional Practice, Paul Conley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In an effort to understand how a teacher developed Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching and how that knowledge can shift teacher's beliefs and instructional practice, I worked with a teacher to deeply plan and implement six mathematical lessons.

The research suggests that planning can be a vehicle to develop a teacher's Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching. In addition, as a teacher's Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching started to develop through lesson planning, the teacher's beliefs about her own knowledge of mathematics started to increase which started to shift the teacher's instructional practice.

This combination of a stronger Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching, self confidence …

Don’T Let Me Down: An Autoethnography Of An Urban Teacher, Jacqueline R. Arriaga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students in urban schools who are negatively impacted need stability and continuity the most. However, at least half of new teachers leave their profession within five years. In order for this situation to change, support is needed for new teachers and encouragement is needed for experienced teachers.

The purpose of the study is to offer a first-hand description of factors that affect the profession of teaching and especially teachers who may be wondering how to stay in teaching for more than five years. Veteran teachers gain the opportunity to reflect, validate, and (probably) celebrate their own journey through this profession. …

The Moral Oppression Of The Teaching Profession: Learning To Transcend, Rebecca Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is both descriptive and philosophical, and at its core, it justifies the need for social foundations of education courses and programs in the university setting. It begins by analyzing the meaning of oppression and the part knowledge plays in confining the individual. The analysis then draws upon Patricia Hill Collins' theory of intersecting oppressions to get at the complexities and restrictions of working in the public schooling institution. It works through the ways in which sexist, classist, and racist practices afflict everyone in the institution through the bureaucratic mechanism and collateral oppression. The four components that make up …

Crystallizing Alex: A Qualitative Case Study Of What Influences One Second Grade Teacher's Literacy Instruction, Jill Ostrow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

New teachers face enormous pressure- to understand and assess student learning, to work well with parents, and to ensure their curricula are aligned with state and national standards. Nowhere is this pressure more evident than in literacy instruction, where competing notions of best practice can be confusing and overwhelming. This qualitative case study of an early career teacher, Alex Christopher, explores in-depth what influences her second grade literacy program. Her decisionmaking process during reading and writing instruction is analyzed within the context of local, state and national literacy reform initiatives, university/school partnerships, and professional development opportunities. Alex was selected for …

A Qualitative Study Of A Team-Teaching Classroom And A Traditional One-Teacher Classroom In An Elementary School Setting, Johnny D. Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study describes two heterogeneously grouped second-grade classrooms during the 1998-99 school year. One class featured collaborative team teaching, and the second class was taught by a traditional single teacher. There were 33 regular education students and nine at-risk students in the team classroom and 14 regular education students and eight at-risk students in the one-teacher classroom. One hundred three interviews were conducted with 21 students in the team classroom and 18 students in the one-teacher classroom, with 13 parents, with three teachers, and with the school principal. The researcher observed the two classes 61 times from September to May. …

Moral Purposes Of Successful Teachers, Richard H. Aubrey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the moral purposes of successful teachers. Moral purpose was defined as the values and beliefs associated with serving society and serving individuals other than oneself Key informant interviews were conducted with the 18 finalists for Tennessee Teacher of the Year. Interviewees, were asked four basic questions: (1) Why did you choose teaching as a career? (2) How would you describe your moral purpose in teaching? (3) Has your moral purpose changed over time? (4) How would you describe the teacher's role in society? Data were analyzed qualitatively. Detailed profiles of each of …

High School Block Scheduling As A Stimulus: A Multiple-Site Case Study, William H. Phelps

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the processes that have been used for implementing the alternative scheduling plan of block scheduling in high schools. The study attempted to discover what professional development activities were used for the change, if teachers altered instruction, and what additional staff development was needed. The qualitative method of case study research was selected for the study. The investigator chose five public high schools, representing city and county systems and different professional development budgets and types of instructional support. Central office administrators who were responsible for the implementation of block scheduling, principals, and a …

Block Scheduling: From Possibility To Reality?, Frederic M. Muse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines teacher practices and student learning as perceived by teachers within public high schools that have implemented block scheduling. Comparisons are made between the possibilities advanced by block scheduling advocates and the actual results as interpreted from the data gathered. Comparisons are made between teaching and learning with the traditional schedule and the manner in which it takes place with block scheduling. Open-ended questionnaires were developed for use with voluntary participants who had worked with traditional scheduling and now taught with some form of block scheduling. Participants recorded observations based solely upon personal perceptions of experiences with students …

The Relationship Of Experience, Education, And Tennessee Career Ladder Status To Teachers' Perceptions Of Staff Development Needs In Block Scheduled Programs, Rita S. Mullins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem related to this study was to develop a clearer understanding of the staff development needs of high school classroom teachers implementing block scheduled programs. The purpose of this study was to determine if teachers' perceptions of staff development needs differed when teaching experience, education (highest degree earned), and Tennessee Career Ladder status were considered. Four levels of each independent variable were analyzed by six categories of perceptions, the dependent variables. The categories were: (a) Planning, (b) Knowledge, (c) Satisfaction with staff development, (d) Adult learning strategies, (e) Level of involvement, and (f) Impact on student testing and grades. …

Teachers' Expressed Beliefs And Practices About Developmentally Appropriate Education Of Multi-Age And Single-Age Classrooms, Dale P. Lynch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the expressed beliefs and practices about developmental education from early childhood teachers in Tennessee's First Educational District. A questionnaire measuring expressed beliefs and practices was administered to teachers (kindergarten through third grade) in public schools with both multi-age and single-age classrooms. The area of teaching specialization along with the number of years taught within the organization structure are paramount in the study. Teachers' expressed beliefs concerning the amount of outside influences with planning and implementing instruction are also noted. Educators were asked to respond to 36 likert-type items regarding their beliefs about …

Stages Of Implementation Of Block Scheduling: Perceptions Of School Climate In High Schools In The First Tennessee Regional District, Chele L. Dugger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A descriptive study was conducted to identify teachers' and principals' perceptions of school climate in four stages of a change to block scheduling: Initiation, the first year of Implementation, the second year of Implementation, and the third year of Implementation or Institutionalization. Data were collected from 442 teachers and principals in nine high schools in the First Tennessee Regional District in a stratified purposeful random sample using the Organizational Health Index (OHI), a 44-item survey, and a demographic information sheet. The survey has seven dimensions: Institutional Integrity, Initiating Structure, Consideration, Principal Influence, Resource Support, Morale, and Academic Support. These dimensions …

The Perceptions Of Career Ladder I, Career Ladder Ii, And Career Ladder Iii Elementary Principals Regarding Instructional Leadership, Brenda T. Gulledge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if Career Ladder I, Career Ladder II, and Career Ladder III Tennessee Elementary Principals perceived differently their role as instructional leaders. The amount of time principals spent in six identified dimensions of instructional leadership was examined. The study examined selected independent variables, such as, grade level configuration of the school, years of experience as a principal, number of years of classroom experience, and gender for any effect on the Career Ladder I, Career Ladder II, and Career Ladder III elementary principals' perceptions of their instructional leadership role. The research design included three …

The Impact Of Site-Based Management On Perceived Roles Of Superintendents, Board Chairpersons, Principals And Selected Central Office Personnel In Tennessee School Systems, Narvia D. Haywood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The introduction of site-based management has had an impact on the operation of school systems in Tennessee; however no one seems to know for certain what that impact was. Findings from this study revealed that there is a basic understanding of the impact of site-based management as perceived by superintendents, board chairpersons, principals, personnel, budget, curriculum, and staff development administrators. Findings also revealed that central office staff and principals, for the most part, perceive that the superintendents and board chairpersons were supportive of site-based management programs. One hundred and eighty-one educators, including board chairpersons, responded to a fifty-four item questionnaire. …

The Impact Of Site-Based Management On Perceived Roles Of Superintendents, Board Chairpersons, Principals And Selected Central Office Personnel In Tennessee School Systems, Narvia D. Haywood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The introduction of site-based management has had an impact on the operation of school systems in Tennessee; however no one seems to know for certain what that impact was. Findings from this study revealed that there is a basic understanding of the impact of site-based management as perceived by superintendents, board chairpersons, principals, personnel, budget, curriculum, and staff development administrators. Findings also revealed that central office staff and principals, for the most part, perceive that the superintendents and board chairpersons were supportive of site-based management programs. One hundred and eighty-one educators, including board chairpersons, responded to a fifty-four item questionnaire. …