Education Commons^™

Ongoing Professional Learning Opportunities, Christie L. Mcmullen

Dissertations

As an answer to a lack of policy around follow up training between CRS Center Staff and school systems across the country, a policy needs to be created around providing follow up training opportunities nationally. This policy provides a repeatable, consistent model for CRS Center staff members to use with each school implementing CRS across the nation. This paper outlines the policy for allowing teachers to see other teachers implementing CRS strategies in their schools, therefore increasing the use of these strategies in classrooms nationally. This process will be applicable for school districts that works with CRS nationally. This policy …

The Use Of Reflective Questioning As A Peer Coaching Strategy In An Asynchronous Online Cognitive Apprenticeship, Jennifer Ashley Scott Brown

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The cognitive apprenticeship framework melds situated, authentic learning with social learning theory. The learning strategies included in a cognitive apprenticeship are modeling, coaching, scaffolding, articulation, reflection, and exploration. Previous research indicates that the most beneficial strategy for the learner is coaching, and is also the most time-consuming strategy for the instructor. However, no previous research has been conducted to determine which coaching strategies can be utilized in order to lessen the burden on the instructor, while being beneficial to the learner.

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of guided reflective questions as a strategy for enhancing …

Factors Contributing To An Elite High School Football Program, Richard Fryklund

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was, what factors contribute to an elite high school football program. The motivating factor for this capstone was one teacher-coach’s desire to understand what differentiates lasting levels of on-the-field success for high school football programs. This capstone was designed to ask high school football coaches their perspectives and methods in their respective high school football program. Previous studies on the definition of elite, organizational culture and support, coaches, and athletes aided the researcher in obtaining background information of successful organizations in various domains. Five high school football coaches, who met the criteria of …

Confronting And Understanding Factors Of Teacher Turnover: A Deep-Rooted Phenomenon Employing An Autoethnographic Perspective, Elizabeth G. Hill

Doctor of Education in Elementary and Early Childhood Education Dissertations

This qualitative autoethnographic study explores the phenomenon of teacher turnover as it relates to the researcher’s specific contexts and personal experiences. Through the acts of journaling, coaching, and narrative writing, teachers can better understand influences of culture on their beliefs, values, attitudes, and decisions – especially in regards to actions of movement from one setting to another. The findings indicate that beliefs, values, attitudes, and decisions are learned through a school’s culture, and they can change depending on perspective. The findings also indicate that there is power in dialogue – even for teachers who never felt they had influence or …

Special Education Teacher Perceptions Of Effectiveness And Knowledge In Literacy Instruction: Implications Of Literacy Coaching, Sarah J. Papineau

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

Students with reading disabilities need explicit and systematic instruction provided by teachers knowledgeable in effective literacy instruction (Foorman & Torgesen, 2001; Moats, 1999; Piasta, Connor, Fishman, & Morrison, 2009). The National Reading Panel report (2000) outlines five areas necessary for effective reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Knowledge in these five areas is imperative to providing explicit instruction for students’ struggling with reading (IDA, 2010; Moats, 1999). However, special education teachers often report being ill-prepared to provide the necessary instruction needed by students with reading disabilities (Amendum, 2014; Kennedy & Sheil, 2010).

Literacy coaching is an effective …

A Psychosocial Analysis Of The Coach-Athlete Relationship Through The Lens Of Coaching Efficacy, Kael G. Gouriluk

Selected Honors Theses

This paper seeks to understand the relationship between athletes and their coaches. More specifically, through review of precedential work and a survey study, to understand the effects of coaches’ instruction methods and actions upon athletes in relation to their perceptions of their previous coaches’ efficacy.

Academics And The Student Athlete: A Mixed Methods Study On The Role Of Athletics In The High School Educational Setting, Meredith Mcgee

Theses and Dissertations

Athletics are a strong component in the educational experiences of students. Without the proper social support, student athletes are presenting academically through a deficit lens (Cohen & Wills, 1985; Comeaux & Harrison, 2011; House, Umberson, & Landis, 1988; Sarason, Sarason,& Pierce, 1990). Coaches, teachers, and administrators must work collaboratively to enhance the education of student athletes. As a result, high schools can better prepare their student athletes for post-secondary life specifically through the significant relationships formed between athletic personnel and their athletes.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore athletic administrators' and coaches' practices related to fostering …

The Leadership Behaviors Of A Successful Ncaa Division I Water Polo Coach: A Phenomenological Study, Scott T. Mccall

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand and describe the transformational leadership behaviors of a successful NCAA Division I water polo coach. This study examined the transformational leadership behaviors of a NCAA Division I coach who led a team to a national championship and who was a former Olympic athlete and national team coach. Data were collected from interviews of the head coach and participants who had direct lived experiences with the coach, as well as through observations of practices and games, and the collection of artifacts.

The findings from this research showed that the head coach …

Professional Development As A Means To Increase Teacher Fidelity And Improve Teacher And Student Outcomes, Shari Lynn Booth

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study was conducted to examine professional development techniques for training special education teachers to implement discrete trial training with in the classroom environment. The purpose of this study was to determine if professional development regarding discrete trail training increases the fidelity with which teachers implement discrete trail training when providing instruction to students with autism spectrum disorder. Specifically, the study noted if professional development that included coaching in the classroom increased the fidelity with which teachers were able to implement discrete trail training. Further, this study examined the correlation between an improvement in the fidelity with which teachers implemented …

Effects Of A Coaching Intervention On Teacher’S Implementation Of Naturalistic Strategies To Promote Communication In Children, Kaitlin J. Dick

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

With accountability on the rise, educators are changing their focus to optimizing instructional strategies in the classroom. Their job performance depends upon their ability to show progress on child outcomes. One way teachers advance this process is by executing more evidence-based practices in their classroom. There is a lack of research in early childhood that report treatment integrity of the treatment package. This study utilized a multicomponent coaching intervention to increasing treatment fidelity of teacher implementation of naturalistic teaching strategies in an early childhood classroom. This coaching intervention could prove to be more efficient and practical for educators. This study …

Coaching Parents Of Children With Adhd: A Western Australian Study, Susan Mary Hughes

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Parents of children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often experience emotional and behavioural difficulties that contribute to stress and conflict in their family relationships. ADHD Parent Coaching is a promising intervention for these families; however, little is known about its effectiveness. This study explored the effects parent coaching had on parents of children with ADHD using descriptive case study methodology. A secondary purpose was to measure any reduction in stress and homework problems. A workshop offering solutions to homework-related issues was conducted over two consecutive weeks. Parents who attended (N=10) were offered parent coaching, and five parents were subsequently coached …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Exemplary National Blue Ribbon Elementary School Teachers In Improving Student Learning Through Effective Coaching Conversations With Their Principals: A Phenomenological Study, Kristin Watson

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to discover and describe how exemplary National Blue Ribbon Elementary School teachers improve student learning through effective coaching conversations with their principals. A second purpose was to explore the barriers they encountered to holding these conversations and actions they took to overcome barriers. The theoretical framework for this study was grounded in Lev Vygotsky’s sociohistorical viewpoints of development which relies on social interaction as an ingredient in the process of learning.

Methodology: This study employed a qualitative methodology utilizing in-depth and semi-structured interviews of 12 participants. Participants were identified in collaboration with the …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Intensive Professional Development On The Daily Five™ In Literacy Instruction: A Multiple Case Study Exploration, Lori A. Hamilton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This multiple case, qualitative study explored the experiences of six early childhood teachers as they implemented a structured, differentiated literacy framework (The Daily Five™) in a rural northeast Tennessee school system. This study investigated teachers’ perceptions of professional development, specifically the professional development components of coaching including ongoing online discussion, collaboration, and reflective journaling, on changing their literacy planning and instruction. Data were collected through interviews, journal entries, and transcribed meeting conversations. Findings revealed that teachers perceived coaching and collaboration as instrumental professional development components that directly contributed to changing their literacy planning and instruction. Both coaching and collaboration offered …

The Experience Of Teachers And Deans In An Intensive Weekly Observation/Feedback Model, Kathleen A. Grinwis

Dissertations

This phenomenological study looked at the lived experiences of 12 teachers and deans participating in an intensive weekly observation/feedback model in several charter school academies. In this model, teachers and deans work to grow as educators and to reach their professional development goals. While we know that a major factor in increasing the proficiency rate of our students is improving teacher effectiveness, not as much is known about how to provide the necessary guidance for teachers’ professional growth and efficacy development. The challenge for leaders is to develop effective systems of supervision that support teachers and administrators as they work …

Impact Of Instructional Coaches On Elementary Mathematical Achievement, Kayla Marie Hibbard

Online Theses and Dissertations

Since the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, school leaders have sought to improve student abilities in both math and reading. Although both subjects have made improvements in both delivery and assessment over the years, mathematics still troubles the nation as students continuously fall short of local, state and federal goals (Darling-Hammond, 1998, 2005; Franke et al., 2005; Johnson & Johnson, 2002).

Instructional coaches have become a norm for many districts across the U. S. as districts seek to draw knowledge and leadership from mastery level teachers as they help improve everyday teaching and student learning. …

Factors Of Evidence-Based Coaching Practices Used By Pre-K Coaches In Alabama And How They Relate To Pre-K Children’S Scores In The Areas Of Social-Emotional, Physical, Language, Cognitive, Literacy, And Mathematics In A State Funded Pre-K: A Quantitative Study, Tracye Cutts Strichik

All ETDs from UAB

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (2011), The National Staff Development Council (2012), and the report released by the U.S. Department of Education (2011), recommends individualizing professional development and emphasizing the application of knowledge to practice. To meet the challenges of educating learners from all levels, teachers need professional development that is ongoing and job embedded (Neuman & Wright, 2010; Ochshorn, 2011). A coach can be a valuable resource in leading this high-quality professional development. Coaching provides educators with authentic opportunities to learn from, and with, one another inside the classroom and improves the classroom experience for …

Exploring Literacy Coaching As A Form Of Staff Development, Kate Matthews Welborn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Following a 2011 audit a school district in the south central United States clarified the role of the literacy coach. However, there were still differences among the literacy coaches as to how they were performing their duties. As a result, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the role of the literacy coach in the participating school district. The theoretical foundation of this study addressed adult learning and was based upon Kegan's constructive development theory and Knowles's theory of androgogy. A case study design was used to explore how 5 literacy coaches implemented literacy staff development …

Observation And Coaching As A Professional Learning Model To Support The Implementation Of Co-Teaching, Mary Alice Henley

Dissertations

Purpose

This qualitative study provides a description of a professional learning model using observation and coaching for teachers who participated in training regarding co-teaching to support the implementation of co-teaching.

Method

The study involved participants who were general and special educators from grades K-12 across urban, rural, and suburban school districts in Connecticut. The study included 329 observations of 136 co-teaching teams from 44 schools in 14 districts over the course of 14 years. Classroom observations of 15-20 minutes were initiated in schools with co-teachers in their natural settings using an open-ended observation protocol recorded on the Connecticut Co-Teaching Technical …

Division I Men's Basketball Scholarship : The Challenges Of Being A Black Male Athlete, Lonnie Gene Wright

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Qualitative research will explore issues that interface particularly with Black student- athletes on Division 1 basketball scholarships regarding academic readiness, academic support, family support and how the experience of a Division 1 scholarship impacted their lives. The population of Black student-athletes that the focus of the research will concentrate on are the black student-athlete who typically exhaust their scholarship, who may have graduated or not but didn’t advance to the Pro Ranks. Case Study methodology will be applied wherein the researcher will interview nine former Black basketball players, within 1 to 5 years separation from 3 different Division 1 …

Executive Coaching As A Model Of Professional Development For School Superintendents, Timothy Brian Arnold Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a utilization-focused program evaluation that describes the impact of an executive coaching model on the professional learning of superintendents who participated in the IASA School for Advanced Leadership (ISAL). This program evaluation is a knowledge-focused, or lessons learned-oriented, formative evaluation of the ISAL cohort program. A qualitative approach is used to describe the lived experiences of superintendents who participated in the coaching model provided through the ISAL cohort program. The results were intended to inform general practice and to provide recommendations on the use of a coaching model in the professional development of superintendents for the ISAL …

Instructional Coaching: An Essential Element For Building And Maintaining Instructional Capacity, Alison Hawley

Dissertations

The focus of this study is to explore the role of the school leader, specifically the principal, in leading instructional change and supporting teachers throughout the change process. Building instructional capacity across a school building is an essential role for a school leader, but also requires ownership and agency on the part of teachers to be active partners in realizing change. The process of full-scale change impacts members of the school community in different ways. Identifying the predictable patterns of adult responses often associated with change can help the instructional leader anticipate the supports necessary to keep the change moving …

Secondary Administrators' Perceptions Of The Blended Coaching Model On Their Development As Transformational Leaders, Janine Ezaki

Dissertations

School principals are expected to lead the major changes and intense curricular work of implementing Common Core State Standards at their school sites. In addition to existing administrative duties and instructional responsibilities, this calls for site administrators to possess transformational leadership skills and attributes in order to lead effectively and purposefully through change in the 21st century. Since education has begun to value leadership coaching for school administrators, this study examined the coaching model as a viable means of support for novice administrators in their development as transformational leaders. The purpose of this ethnographic research was to study the culture …

African American Head Football Coaches At Division 1 Fbs Schools: A Qualitative Study On Turning Points, Thaddeus Rivers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation was centered on how the theory 'turning points' explained African American coaches ascension to Head Football Coach at a NCAA Division I FBS school. This work (1) identified traits and characteristics coaches felt they needed in order to become a head coach and (2) described the significant events and people (turning points) in their lives that have influenced their career. This study employed a Constant Comparative method in which participants answered interview questions designed for them to elaborate on their educational and athletic careers, and those events and people who were major influences in their careers. Commonalities and …

Learning To See, Seeing To Learn: The Learning Journey Of Three Pre-Service Teachers In A Video Club Setting, Catherine Moore

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study sought to develop a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of professional growth in pre-service teachers during their final practicum. The research was situated in a primary school and involved three pre-service teachers with widely differing backgrounds who brought differing experiences to the practicum. The study identified personal and contextual variables that affected the pre-service teachers’ professional growth and explored how professional discourse within a learning community of peers, informed by multiple perspectives on teaching practice that were facilitated by video, influenced professional growth.

This qualitative research project used a broad phenomenological approach in that the methods used were …

Teacher Leadership: Developing The Ability Of Teachers To Move Forward Independently—A Delphi Study Of Selected Secondary Teachers In Riverside County, California, Marilyn M. Saucedo

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the key learning opportunities necessary to build teacher leadership, the most difficult barriers to overcome, and the most important facilitators as identified by teacher experts. This study also sought to determine the best approaches to implementation of identified learning opportunities, the most effective approaches for overcoming identified barriers, and the most effective approaches for implementing facilitators that support teacher leaders.

Methodology: Consistent with a Delphi method, the instruments used within this study collected perceptual data from an expert panel of high school teachers from Riverside County, California, through an electronic format …

Impacts Of The Game-Centered Approach On Cognitive Learning Of Game Play And Game Performance During 5-Week Of Spring Season With Intercollegiate Female Soccer Players, Kanae Haneishi

Doctoral Dissertations

Game-centered approaches have been increasingly recognized for their features and the impacts in coaching profession. Research with the game-centered approach is still underdeveloped in coaching sports and physical activities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the impacts of the game-centered approach on cognitive learning of game play and game performance during 5-week of spring season with intercollegiate female soccer players. Game performances at beginning, mid, and end of the season were examined through Game Performance Assessment Inventory (GPAI) with seventeen participants. Cognitive learning of game play was also assessed with instant recalls and practice journals with all …

Value Of Coaching In Building Leadership Capacity Of Principals In Urban Schools: A Case Study, Anita Renee Farver

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how coaching support structures enabled and sustained leadership practices of urban principals. The study investigated how the intervention of coaching for academic leaders can serve as evidence based professional development for building leadership capacity. The central focus was on principals' perceptions of coaching engagements over time to identify recurring themes and essential elements of the coach-to-client relationship. With a goal of meeting 21st century school accountability requirements of standards and assessments, the urban district in this study implemented coaching for academic leaders who were selected to participate in the coaching …

Teachers Adapting Common Core Informational-Text Writing Instruction For Students With Mild To Moderate Disabilities, Diana Hawley

Doctoral Dissertations

With the adoption of the Common Core State Standards, students must now become skilled at using different types of writing to help them critique text and process information. They also are required to write informational text. Informational-text writing is challenging for students with mild to moderate disabilities, including students with language-learning disabilities, who often struggle with aspects of language necessary for learning to read and write. These students show striking challenges with productivity, grammatical and spelling accuracy, and sentence complexity, with differences in performance by genre (Koutsoftas & Gray, 2012; Scott & Windsor, 2000; Troia, Lin, Cohen, & Monroe, 2011). …

Virtual Coaching In Guatemala: Can It Be Effective For Changing Targeted Teacher Behaviors?, Ruby Owiny

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The education system in Guatemala struggles to meet the needs of students with disabilities. There are often not enough trained special educators to meet the demand. In addition, general educators are often not trained to adequately meet diverse needs in their classrooms. Thus, schools are often unable to fully meet the needs of students with disabilities. This study sought to identify a method by which teachers could be virtually trained on a teacher behavior (i.e., specific praise) that could help meet diverse student needs. A multiple probe design across participants was used to determine if virtual training could be effective …

Combining Appreciative Inquiry And Emotional Intelligence To Understand And Improve The Professional Development Of K-12 Teachers, Jamie Elizabeth Dewitt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Creating meaningful and effective professional development (PD) programs for K-12 teachers is an ongoing challenge. The problem is exacerbated when PD models are implemented without fully aligning PD resources and plans with the training needs of teachers and the organization. The guiding question sought to understand the experiences of teachers at an online charter school about the implementation of PD as a means for improving student outcomes. The purpose of the study was to find ways to enhance PD in order to improve student outcomes at the school. The conceptual framework for this study is interwoven through the constructs of …