Education Commons^™

Middle School Teacher Perceptions Of Effective Professional Development Practices: A Phenomenological Study, Christi Glasco

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the perceptions middle school educators shared regarding the effectiveness and relevancy of their professional development trainings. Professional development opportunities serve as a method for learning and growth to educators and assist them in adapting to educational changes throughout their careers. Effective and relevant development practices have been shown to increase the value educators assign to the experience as well as increase the likelihood educators will bring their newfound knowledge into their classrooms. This study utilized personal one-on-one interviews and reflective journaling with 12 participants from the Pacific Northwest. Nine of the …

Educator View Of Professional Development And Perceived Influence On Practice, Christi Hicks

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

It is an essential goal for educational institutions to create an aspect of successful and continuous school improvement utilizing high-quality professional development for educators. School and district leaders have been faced with the growing need to develop professional development opportunities that will enable educators to keep up with the ever-changing educational reform and needs of students. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to determine teachers’ perceptions of professional development and to examine if perception can affect what learning happens in these opportunities. Professional development, adult learning theory, and constructivist theory provided the conceptual framework for this study, which …

The Understanding And Involvement In Shared Governance By Faculty Who Have Transitioned To Higher Education From Industry, Trisha Ann Waldman

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this single case study was to explore how faculty who transitioned to higher education from industry understand shared governance, how their understanding of shared governance was formed, and how these faculty perceive their involvement in shared governance.

The study was conducted at a small private college located in the Midwest, with a sample size of 14 full-time faculty members who transitioned to higher education from industry. The conceptual framework for this study was based upon the theory of transformative learning (Mezirow, 1991). Data were collected through interviews, demographic surveys, and a review of institutional qualitative data. The …

Secondary Teachers’ Descriptions Of Blended Learning And Professional Development: A Case Study, Melinda Payton

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Teachers who were born before the proliferation of computers are a large part of the education workforce. Therefore, it is important to understand how that group of teachers describes the use of technology in their classroom, as well as professional development that they have taken which focused on the implantation of blended learning in their classrooms. The purpose of the qualitative descriptive single case study was to understand how teachers describe technology and blended learning in their classrooms, as well as their descriptions of professional development that focuses on technology regarding blended learning. The overlying research question for the study …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Early Childhood Education Preparation And Experiences Of California Certificated Elementary School Educators Assigned To Transitional Kindergarten, Elizabeth A. Golchert

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This dissertation represents original, independent research that is a contribution of new knowledge to the field of educational practice. As a new phenomenon in the California public school system, transitional kindergarten (TK) is now bringing about a closer look by researchers at legislative practices, TK program implementation, local school district policies, teacher preparation, and teacher implementation of best practices related to the education of children of approximately four years of age. The purpose of conducting this study was to broadly examine these topics, but more specifically, investigate the problem of children being assigned to teachers who do not have the …

The Preparedness Of Teachers In The Midwest Lutheran Synod To Teach English Language Learners: A Case Study In One High School, Ben Troge

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The enrollment numbers of English language learners (ELLs) in U.S. high schools continue to grow. This trend is not exclusive to public schools; many of the Midwest Lutheran Synod’s (MLS) high schools are increasingly enrolling international students. As such, if preservice programs do not prepare teachers to instruct this student population, individual schools must provide the in-service professional development in ELL. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain an understanding of how a group of teachers at one MLS high school that enrolls international students describe how well prepared they were to teach their ELL student population. …

Elementary Teacher Professional Development For Computer Science And Digital Game-Based Learning, Christopher Levy

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study research is to understand the professional development needed for elementary school (Grades K–6) educators to effectively teach computer science as part of the Computer Science for All initiative. Two research statements guided this study: Professional development training is needed for Florida elementary school educators to effectively teach the topics in the Computer Science for All initiative; Florida elementary school educators use digital game-based learning to effectively teach the topics in the Computer Science for All initiative. The sample was a purposeful sample consisting of 15 elementary school teachers at an elementary school in …

The Professional Development And Coaching Of School Teachers: Real-Time Feedback, Jasmine R. Foster

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Teachers face many problems which directly impact student achievement. Some of these problems include lack of resources, high teacher attrition, and an overwhelming ratio of below grade level students. This study examines in-the-moment feedback as a form of professional development and coaching. The study seeks to understand if teachers deem this form of coaching and development as beneficial and high leverage in regard to positively affecting student achievement. Exploratory case study was used as the research design for this study. The population of this study was school teachers in urban school settings. The sample population entailed 11 school teachers currently …

Technology Integration Experiences And Perceptions Of Southeastern Secondary Teachers, Candace M. Pattman

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This research examined secondary southeastern teachers’ experiences and perceptions of technology integration in the classroom. Two research questions guided this study: What are the experiences of South Carolina secondary high school teachers in technology-equipped classrooms? How do secondary high school teachers in southeastern schools perceive the process of integrating technology in their daily lessons? The study was conducted using the conceptual framework of Bruner (1961), Dewey (1910), Piaget (1970), and Vygotsky (1978). Constructivism suggests that individuals construct their knowledge and meaning through their experiences. Eight purposefully selected secondary teachers who used technology integration in their classrooms more than once participated …

Exploring Perceptions Of Advanced Online Faculty Professional Development Needs: A Case Study, Keisha Kidan

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Over the last 10 years, funding for higher education has steadily declined. Illinois public institutions had to make many adjustments, particularly because higher education funds were cut by 50% in some cases, and on-campus enrollments declined by as much as 25%. Despite these issues, institutions with online enrollments sustained steady enrollment. The goal of this qualitative, descriptive, single case study was to examine the types of training participated in by online faculty, what training they perceive they need, and to inquire if they perceive their feedback is incorporated into PD offerings. Data collection consisted of a PD observation, survey, and/or …

A Case Study: The Influence Of Literacy Professional Development On Teaching Practices And Teacher Self-Efficacy, Michelle Maclin

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This case study was designed to explore how professional development for teachers in literacy and reading instruction, was perceived by teachers as influencing their levels of self-efficacy, teaching practices, as well as, affecting achievement levels for students. The population for the study was thirteen grades 3-5 teachers from an urban elementary school in the southern portion of the United States. Research question for the study included: What was the perception of teachers concerning the training received and the usefulness for teaching literacy? What aspects of training did teachers find most beneficial? What is the perception of teachers’ level of efficacy …

Nuestra Escuela: A Quasi-Experimental Study Of The Impact Of Spanish Language Skills Training On The Attitudes And Practices Of Non-Hispanic Teachers Of Hispanic Students, Patricia A. Sutherlan Rock

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The reality of the changing face of America’s public schools is that many teachers are in districts with high numbers of native Spanish speakers in their classrooms, yet very few of those teachers speak or understand Spanish. In lieu of the challenge to attract, hire, or retain a suitable number of Spanish-speaking teachers, professional development training of existing faculty in basic Spanish speaking skills could be considered a viable option when schools desire to create a culturally sensitive community; however, Spanish language skills training for teachers and administrators in districts with high numbers of Latinx students is not as prevalent …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Professional Development On The Effective Integration Of Technology To The Classroom, Natalie B. Mcphail Takacs

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to determine differences between teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of professional development related to the integration of technology into the curriculum with respect to teachers’ years in education, highest degree level earned, and self-assessed technology usage level. Technology integration is a problem among teachers in northwestern New Jersey because educators are held accountable to state technology standards through student test scores and students are not performing well on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career tests. A review of literature examined professional development activities related to the integration of technology …

Teacher Perceptions Of An Evaluation Process: A Qualitative Case Study, Lisa M. Puckett

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of the evaluation system currently used in their district. This study was guided by the following research question: How do teachers perceive the teacher evaluation process in a Midwestern Teacher and student Advancement Program (TAP) school? The theoretical foundations used in this study were Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory and Kirkpatrick’s four levels of evaluating training programs. The researcher learned that Midwestern teachers in a TAP school perceived the evaluation system to have impacted their teaching in a positive manner and, at the same time, contributed to their stress level. …