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Full-Text Articles in Education
Influences On The Implementation Of Guidedplay Practices In Kindergarten: A Grounded Theory Study, Amy Schmidtke
Influences On The Implementation Of Guidedplay Practices In Kindergarten: A Grounded Theory Study, Amy Schmidtke
Student Work
The professional capacity of a kindergarten teacher is central to the implementation of developmentally appropriate practices that support children’s learning and development. Evidence indicates that a teacher’s professional capacity is influenced through experiences with leadership, professional learning, and collaboration. Although research clearly supports the positive impact of play experiences for young children, the current educational climate does not provide teachers with the confidence or the structural supports needed to actualize play in kindergarten classrooms. The findings demonstrate what influences kindergarten teachers to implement guided play practices in their classrooms. The implications provide insight as to which elements of leadership, professional …
Primary Teachers’ Decisions For Selecting Multicultural Classroom Read Alouds, Jennifer Lemke
Primary Teachers’ Decisions For Selecting Multicultural Classroom Read Alouds, Jennifer Lemke
Student Work
As the diversity amongst the student population in schools increase, it is important that teachers include literature that contain a variety of settings and themes that allow students to explore the diverse perspectives and cultures that surround them. Research has shown that including literature that reflects the diverse experiences of students not only increases individual student’s self-esteem and confidence, but the respect and empathy for other cultures. Therefore, supporting the need for teachers to be critical and intentional in the titles they select to read aloud is important. This phenomenographic research study identifies factors that influence how primary teachers in …
Educators’ Experiences Implementing Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum In A Suburban Elementary School, Danielle N. Elsasser
Educators’ Experiences Implementing Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum In A Suburban Elementary School, Danielle N. Elsasser
Student Work
This qualitative case study explores educators’ experiences in a suburban elementary school during the implementation stages of a new social-emotional learning curriculum. This research combines educators’ first-person accounts of the social-emotional learning curriculum implementation before and during the process as well as analyzes the results of their experiences as a whole. Altogether, this paper investigates the central phenomenon: What are the experiences of elementary educators in a suburban elementary school implementing social-emotional learning curriculum? Participants were invited individually to take part in the interview process. Data collected were analyzed through a series of codes and aggregated into themes. Participants reflected …
Educational Professionals’ Perceptions Of Their Role In Moving Toward Trauma-Sensitive Practices In Schools, Lisa M. Epp
Educational Professionals’ Perceptions Of Their Role In Moving Toward Trauma-Sensitive Practices In Schools, Lisa M. Epp
Student Work
The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the different ways classroom teachers, school counselors, school psychologists, and administrators; experience, perceive, understand and conceptualize their specific role in moving toward trauma-sensitive practices in schools. Grounded in the social-ecological theory related to trauma, the study was conducted in a suburban school district in Omaha, Nebraska utilizing focus groups from four participating middle schools. Fifteen education professionals were asked questions regarding their perceptions of trauma and their role in creating and sustaining trauma-sensitive practices in each of their contexts. A researcher-created interview protocol was utilized to collect perceptual data throughout the focus …
Supporting Innovation, Honoring Stability, And Achieving Coherence While Implementing Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support For Behavior At The Middle Level, Chelsea S. Krebs
Supporting Innovation, Honoring Stability, And Achieving Coherence While Implementing Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support For Behavior At The Middle Level, Chelsea S. Krebs
Student Work
Negative-feeling variables not only distract schools from reform initiatives but make system change matters almost impossible. Paired with increased student behavior and managing school discipline needs, educators can feel frustrated and alone. This study looked at one middle’s school initial implementation of a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior program through the lens of Fullan and Quinn’s Coherence Framework. The constructs of stability and innovation were also explored. The research design for this study was a mixed-data program implementation case study. Survey results from staff regarding program implementation practices were used, as well as field notes and document analysis. A …
What Makes You So Good? Highly Effective General Education Teachers Serving Students With Special Education Needs, Paige Gill
Student Work
Teachers are the single most important factor in student learning, including the learning of students who receive special education services. Most students with disabilities are included in the general education classroom but general education teachers often express feeling underprepared to meet their diverse needs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences of general education teachers in a traditional high school environment who are highly effective in serving students with special education needs in hopes of finding commonalities that could be replicated for other teachers. In this study, six positive deviant general education teachers participated in …
Implementation Of A New Assessment System: A Look At Year Two Of A Three Year Professional Development Plan, Janet A. Zahm
Implementation Of A New Assessment System: A Look At Year Two Of A Three Year Professional Development Plan, Janet A. Zahm
Student Work
Increased accountability requirements have created a focus on assessments. As schools and districts work to meet federal and state requirements by demonstrating student progress as indicated by high stakes testing, assessment data literacy has become a necessary skill for educators to possess. Districts and schools need to ensure assessment literacy training has occurred that relates to the current tests being utilized. When assessments change, there is a need to understand the new assessment system, including the administration of the test. However, there is a greater need to use assessment data to modify instruction to meet all students’ needs. Knowledge of …
An Exploration Of The Alignment Of Actual And Desired Roles For School Psychologists, Tessa Petereit
An Exploration Of The Alignment Of Actual And Desired Roles For School Psychologists, Tessa Petereit
Student Work
This mixed data exploratory study examined the actual and desired job responsibilities of school psychologists, the Professional Quality of Life survey,school psychologist to student ratio, and years in the profession. Qualitative data regarding reasons they entered the field, barriers to practicing in their desired role, and roles they felt to be most effective was gathered. The aim of this study was to shed light on the extent to which the alignment of their desired roles influences the perceived effectiveness of the school psychologists. Most school psychologists entered the field to support children; all but one of the school psychologists surveyed …
Experience Of Burnout Among Educational Leadership Doctoral Candidates, Ron M. Azoulay
Experience Of Burnout Among Educational Leadership Doctoral Candidates, Ron M. Azoulay
Student Work
In this era of high accountability, standardized based instructions, and public debates over teacher quality, performance, and evaluation, education administrators across the country have come under intense pressures (Boccio, Weisz, & Lefkowitz, 2016; Carey, 2011; Ravitch, 2010). Due to the high incentives and intense pressures on school leaders, and the wide-ranging impact these positions have on communities, it is crucial to understand those who are seeking greater leadership roles in education. The purpose of this study was to determine if candidates pursing doctorate degrees in educational leadership are experiencing burnout. The dissertation addresses the phenomenon of job burnout, which is …
An Analysis Of Science Teachers’ Perceptions Of Graphical Literacy Within The Context Of The Secondary Science Classroom, Pete Marsh
Student Work
The topic of graphical literacy is considered to be an important aspect of a student’s science education. Skills related to the construction and interpretation of graphs are well documented in science education literature as well as instructional strategies meant to help develop a student’s graphical literacy in science. Absent in the literature is how science teachers address skills related to graphical literacy with their students. The purpose of this study is to provide some insight into how secondary science teachers devote instruction to address graphical literacy with their students in the context of their classroom. Eight secondary science teachers from …
Factors Influencing The Self-Efficacy Of Novice School Librarians, Christine Haeffner
Factors Influencing The Self-Efficacy Of Novice School Librarians, Christine Haeffner
Student Work
Effective school library programs depend on school librarians with the capacity to lead and administrate library programs that reflect the core values of contemporary school librarianship. Research has shown that the first years of practice are critical in establishing the professional identity of the school librarian. This mixed methods explanatory research study identifies factors that affect the self-efficacy of the novice school librarian, which influences the degree to which the novice school librarian feels confident of their ability to succeed in the role of school librarian.