Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Exploring Pre-Service Teachers' Experiences With Emerging Technologies In Secondary Education: A Phenomenological Study, Richelle M. Decuir

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research was an investigation of the role of emerging technologies in preparing pre-service teachers to engage with secondary learners effectively. A phenomenological approach was utilized to explore how instructional design models and constructivist learning theories shape technology training in two Southeastern public universities. The research was focused on pre-service teachers' experiences developing digital competencies, integrating instructional design, and utilizing emerging technologies in educational settings. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and demographic surveys to understand the participants’ perspectives comprehensively. The study findings revealed that while pre-service teachers recognize the value of technology in enhancing student engagement and supporting personalized …

Nurturing A Community Of Literacy Coaches: A Comprehensive Approach To Improved Literacy Instruction, Heather Rottermond, Colleen Whalen, Laura Gabrion, Joseph L. Musial

Michigan Reading Journal

Because equitable literacy practices provide students with access and opportunity, it is essential to build strong and supportive communities for literacy educators. At the center of these communities are literacy coaches who work extensively to cultivate trusting relationships to disrupt the status quo, thereby improving literacy instruction and student success. Literacy coaches build coaching structures and learning cultures that equitably expand educators’ knowledge, skills, and capacity to increase student literacy within and beyond classrooms. This article examines Years One through Three of the Wayne County COSA (Coach on Special Assignment) Initiative. It explores the value of building and sustaining an …

A Situated Lens To Designing Assessments Of Citizenship Competency, Paula J. Waatainen, Man-Wai Chu

Democracy & Education

As education systems increasingly emphasize teaching for the development of competency, teachers need support in how to design classroom assessments of competencies associated with their areas of learning. Teachers who engage students in learning democracy through deliberative dialogue and participation in real-world processes will find limited support in the literature on how to operationalize the development of associated competencies. In this first design cycle of an ongoing multi-stage design-based research study, a researcher and two classroom teachers in British Columbia collaborated to apply principles of authentic assessment (Koh, 2017) to the design of an assessment of the citizenship competencies Grades …

Why Wasn’T Participation In Government Enough?: A Historical Policy Analysis Of Pig And The Seal Of Civic Readiness, Karen M. Poland, Ed. D., Elizabeth A. Falzone, Ph.D., Dana F. Serure Edd.

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

New York State has long been a leader in educational reform, including initiating efforts to enhance civic education. For example, in 1985, concerns regarding the civic and economic literacy of the state's youth prompted the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to mandate a fourth credit in social studies education. This fourth credit required students in their senior year to take two new half-credit courses, Participation in Government (PIG) and Economics. When President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, its emphasis on college, career, and civic readiness provided an additional incentive for NYSED to …

Math Performance In East Baton Rouge Parish Schools: 2023-2024, 5th-8th Grades, H. Colleen Sinclair, Judith L. F. Rhodes, Stacey R. Terrio

Reports

This report examines the effects of a digital learning platform and individual students' self-reported motivations on math performance, namely 9-week grades and annual state assessments, among 5th through 8th graders in a large school system in the Louisiana. The findings are based on data collected as part of a research-practitioner partnership funded by the Gates Foundation. The report shows how key motivational factors (e.g., confidence, anxiety), digital learning use, and student characteristics were related to math performance. These results help identify possible avenues for targeted interventions to improve confidence and reduce fears, for example, to help students in their math …

Cultural Advocacy And Teachers Of Color, Torine Champion, Linda Wilson-Jones

Journal of Research Initiatives

Teachers of color face marginalization and microaggressions that their White counterparts do not have to face. African American teachers experience microaggressions pathologizing their cultural values and communication styles, cultural/ethnic insensitivity, an ascription of their intelligence, and being treated as second-class citizens) that are hurtful, undermining, and disparaging (Brown, 2019). Asian American teachers face gendered, racial, and sexualized expectations on their campuses (Endo, 2015). A study of Latina bilingual teachers revealed that they felt alienated from their colleagues, had larger workloads, and did not have access to support (Amos, 2016). Teachers of color experience inequalities, microaggressions, and marginalization that impact their …

Assessing Leadership Efficacy Of Department Heads: A Study Of Faculty Perceptions At Two Historically Black Colleges And Universities In The Southeastern United States, Demissie L. Karorsa, Monica E. Allen

Journal of Research Initiatives

Transformational leadership (TL) is a leadership approach that inspires followers and encourages their effective engagement to contribute adequately to organizational goal achievement. By inspiring followers to pursue and attain exceptional performance levels, TL accrues high follower satisfaction in their jobs and with their organizations (Asencio, 2016; Banks et al., 2016; Barnett, 2017; Bass & Riggio, 2006). This study examined faculty perceptions/ratings of transformational leadership behaviors of their department chairs at two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the southeastern United States.

A thorough examination of the data collected revealed that the faculty rated idealized attributes (IA) the highest (x̄=2.80, …

Critical Literacy And Hip Hop, Sunni Ali

Journal of Research Initiatives

Integrating critical literacy and conscious Hip-Hop in the classroom setting offers numerous benefits. It allows students to engage more effectively in conversations about contemporary topics, enhances their ability to integrate cultural perspectives, and provides a fresh perspective on the challenges they face in school and within their communities.

Integrating critical literacy and conscious Hip-Hop in the classroom setting offers numerous benefits. It allows students to engage more effectively in conversations about contemporary topics, enhances their ability to integrate cultural perspectives, and provides a fresh perspective on the challenges they face in school and within their communities.

When teachers apply a …

Human Capital At Home: Evidence From A Randomized Evaluation In The Philippines, Noam Angrist, Sarah Kabay, Dean S. Karlan, Lincoln Lau, Kevin M. Wong

Education Division Scholarship

Children spend most of their time at home in their early years, yet efforts to promote human capital at home in many low- and middle-income settings remain limited. We conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate an intervention which encourages parents and caregivers to foster human capital accumulation among their children between ages 3 and 5, with a focus on math and phonics skills. Children gain 0.52 and 0.51 standard deviations relative to the control group on math and phonics tests, respectively (p<0.001). A year later effects persist, but math gains dissipate to 0.15 (p=0.06) and phonics to 0.13 (p=0.12). Effects appear to be mediated largely through instructional support by parents and not other parent investment mechanisms, such as more positive parent-child interactions or additional time spent on education at home beyond the intervention. Our results show that parents can be effective conduits of educational instruction even in low-resource settings.

Improving Educator Readiness To Support Student Mental Health, Anna Dabrowski, Michelle Hsien, Tamara Van Der Zant, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Amy Berry, Maya Conway, Yung Nietschke

Wellbeing

This project used a mixed-method approach to understand educator readiness to support student mental health across early childhood, school based, and tertiary settings. The study features educators and relevant support staff working with children, adolescents, and adults in formal learning settings. Relevant experts such as mental health care workers, youth wellbeing support staff, counsellors, psychologists, and other professionals involved in education settings were also invited to take part in the study. Three research questions guided the focus of the study: How does educator anxiety and worry impact on their ability to support student mental health? To what extent are educators …

The Impact Of Early Teacher Bias And Academic Risk On Children’S Current And Future Academic Achievement, Damira S. Rasheed

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The racial academic achievement gap continues to plague child academic outcomes in American public schools and teacher bias may be a contributing factor. Through the theoretical lens of critical race theory and the cultural synchrony hypothesis, this study contemplated how longstanding racism in the US may function to hinder the academic achievement outcomes of minority-race children. Moreover, cultural mismatches in the classroom between teachers and students may be associated with lower quality teacher-child relationships and perceived academic risk. A growing body of work has examined the association between teacher bias and child academic-risk factors—with risk defined by children’s sociodemographic characteristics …

How Do Doctoral Students Perceive Supervision? Lessons Learned From Indonesia, Elok Putri Nimasari, Syihabul Irfan, Ariyanti Ariyanti, Ahmad Iklil Saifulloh

The Qualitative Report

Theorised in Vygotskyan sociocultural and Bakhtinian dialogical perspectives, this article addresses Indonesian postgraduates’ perceptions of their doctoral supervision for their thesis proposal. Twelve Indonesian doctoral students participated in this interpretative phenomenology study. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews lasting eight months. Drawing on interpretative phenomenological analysis, the findings identified four micro themes of sociocultural and dialogical theory (i.e., shared expertise, critical dialogue, constructive feedback, and encouraging diverse perspectives). The present study contributed empirical evidence on how doctoral students benefit from their supervisory process in sociocultural and dialogical perspectives embedded with different supervisory dimensions.

Using Hermeneutic Phenomenology To Research Teacher Professional Learning, Rosamund Whaley

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

The professional growth of teachers is complex to study given the many factors involved in both adult learning and student outcomes. This article proposes phenomenology as an effective philosophy and method to provide a holistic investigation by describing a hermeneutic study of the professional learning experiences of teachers in the International Baccalaureate program. It is hoped this account will clarify some of the misconceptions regarding the different forms of phenomenology and provide detailed guidance to researchers utilizing this methodology to study professional development and other forms of learning in educational contexts.

Developing Alternative Grading Strategies, Brian M. Sackett

Masters Projects

Traditional grading strategies may not accurately reflect student knowledge. Educators are beginning to develop more accurate and efficient methods for grading students. These alternative methods include; standards based grading, content based grading, portfolio assessment, narrative feedback, and minimum grading. These grading strategies focus more heavily on content mastery, rather than non-academic variables such as student behavior. This project will provide a thorough training session to teachers to give them the confidence to implement the new alternative grading strategies. The goal of this project is to have a lasting impact on students’ academic success as well as their motivation and engagement. …

Policy, Practice, And Perceptions Of K-12 Social-Emotional Learning, Janice Filer, Ebony C. Cain, Della Thompson-Bell

Education Division Scholarship

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of K-12 school staff who participate in social-emotional learning (SEL). Since the global pandemic, several school districts have included SEL as part of the school curriculum. Teachers, counselors, social workers, school psychologists, and school administrators participate in SEL instruction and/or practices. Classroom teachers instruct students in SEL instruction and other school staff practice the SEL components of self-awareness, self-management, decision-making, social awareness, and relationship skills through their daily interactions with students. This study was conducted in various schools throughout the Los Angeles area using open-ended interview questions that utilized focus …

Innovative Education: Comparing The Success Of Stem And Traditional School Models, Timothy W. Kennedy

Education Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This research study investigates the impacts of four specialized STEM education models—T-STEM (Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), P-TECH (Pathways in Technology), Early College High Schools (ECHS), and New Tech Network schools (NTN) on student performance in Texas high schools. By analyzing aggregate student data collected by the state, this study compares the academic outcomes of students in these STEM-focused schools with those in traditional curriculum schools using ANCOVA (Analysis of Covariance) and Logistic Regression. The findings reveal mixed results: while some specialized STEM models show enhanced performance in STEM and other academic subjects, others do not consistently outperform …

Sociocultural Environment And Agency In Identity Construction Of English Language Teachers, Bharat Prasad Neupane , Phd

The Qualitative Report

Identity is an emerging field in educational research focusing on how teacher education programs, training, reflective practices, and short-term interventions impact the identity negotiation of teachers (Gautam, 2018). However, this study reports how different levels of sociocultural environments influence teachers and what initiatives they take for professional development and identity construction. Drawing on Wenger’s (1998) notion of communities of practice and Norton’s (2013) investing, this study sought to uncover the interchange of the development of learning communities and teachers by investigating the life history of four secondary-level English language teachers derived through informal conversations and in-depth interviews. Teachers’ life stories …

The Influence Of Misconceptions On Pedagogical Choices Of Secondary Science Teachers: An Embedded Case Study, Tracey Beyer

Dissertations

This case study, using phenomenography within science disciplines, examines how educators' experiences with misconceptions affect teaching methods in high school physics, chemistry, and biology. Based on constructivist and interpretive theories it highlights that personal experiences shape learning and involve continuously reconstructing knowledge. The shared misconceptions of 13 educators across science disciplines reveal how those experiences influenced both their content knowledge and instructional practices. The findings indicate that educators who openly acknowledge and learn from their past experiences with misconceptions are better equipped to recognize and address gaps in understanding, an asset to furthering student learning. This research highlights the importance …

Embracing Social-Emotional Learning And Nurturing Character: A Systematic Review Of Intersectional-Eq Strategies For Educational Leaders, Leticia G. Candelaria-Archuleta

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

The COVID-19 pandemic expanded education beyond traditional academics, highlighting the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL) and character education (CE) for positive youth outcomes. This study examined the role of educational leadership in implementing SEL and CE in schools through a term coined Intersectional-EQ. This study centered on a cutting-edge approach using grey literature, specifically doctoral dissertations, to capture current trends in unprecedented times. A systematic review through Covidence, guided by PRISMA and PICO frameworks, was conducted. Findings highlight the impact of leadership on SEL and CE through an intersectional lens. Future work is aimed to support holistic student growth by …

Teaching And Learning For Intercultural Competence In Pakistan Primary And Secondary Schools, Elizabeth J. Sandell, Malaika Azam

Elementary and Literacy Education Department Publications

Pakistan has rich history and a vast range of people from different castes, speaking various languages, and celebrating diverse cultural backgrounds. Since independence in 1947, Pakistan has faced significant challenges, including a polarized society marked by ethnic tensions and conflicts. Intercultural competence is the ability to function effectively across cultures, to think and act appropriately, and to communicate and work with people from various cultural backgrounds. Consequently, schoolteachers should be knowledgeable about various ethnic groups, to teach in a multiethnic classroom, and to prepare all pupils for life in a multicultural society. Previous investigations by the other researchers suggested that …

Putting Creative Thinking At The Core Of The English School Curriculum: An Exploratory Study, Sladana Krstic

Assessment and Reporting

Across much of the world, in more than 20 educational jurisdictions, the ability to think creatively is seen as a core aspect of what it is to be a successful learner today and, consequently, it has been included within various national curricula (Taylor et al., 2020). In England this is not yet the case, despite strong arguments being made for creative thinking being a core part of the curriculum in the Durham Commission on Creativity and Education (2019). In 2023 Rethinking Assessment and ACER UK conducted an exploratory study to examine the feasibility of integrating creative thinking into five subjects …

Perception Of School Governing Bodies About Decentralisation Of School Governance In Eswatini, Swaziland, Ibiwumi Abiodun Alade, Goodness X. Tshabalala

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The adoption of decentralisation as a reform in the administration of education sector in Eswatini has been a subject of debate due to its attending challenges. This study therefore examined the perception of school governing bodies about decentralisation of school governance in Eswatini, Swaziland. The qualitative case study is embedded in the interpretative paradigm, and it employed the Subsidiarity Theory (ST) as a framework for understanding the decentralization of school governance in Eswatini. Four research questions guided the study while purposive sampling technique was used to select five school principals from the selected schools who had served as principals for …

Academic Support Programs At Hbcu Law Schools, Marla L. Dickerson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative descriptive case study delves into the effectiveness of academic support programs (ASPs) for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) law schools, focusing on enhancing academic performance and passing the bar exam. The underrepresentation of minority lawyers in the United States, which is attributed partly to standardized test disparities, underscores the need for tailored support mechanisms. Drawing from social cognitive theory (SCT), the study investigates how ASPs impact academic success, informed by participant interviews and thematic analysis.

Key findings reveal four prominent themes. Firstly, effective features of ASPs for promoting academic performance include personalized guidance from academic …

Seeking A Feminist Approach To Scholarly Innovations In Music Teacher Education, Andrea Maas

Visions of Research in Music Education

The marketization (Marchand & Orsorno Velázquez, 2016) of higher education impacts faculty through hiring practices, workload structures, and reappointment and promotion policies. Women faculty in fields such as music education need to negotiate masculine discourses and gendered constructions of innovation (Alsos et al., 2013) in a STEM focused economy. Values held by feminist pedagogues could serve as a framework through which to consider a more feminist approach to research and scholarship. Qualities such as equalization of power, collaboration, affective learning, inclusiveness of diversity, and social responsibility may surface through a researcher’s approach to inquiry or in the content itself. This …

Improving Cohesion Between General Education And Special Education Departments, Jacob Haugmo

Graduate Teacher Education

Cohesion between general education and special education departments is the idea of blending and aligning instructional methods and approaches regardless of educational discipline. This paper was written to examine how this cohesion can be improved. Educational leaders must improve cohesion between general education and special education departments to support the academic achievement and success of all students in schools. Through qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies, methods to improve this cohesion were researched. The research provided insight on how general education and special education teachers feel about collaboration and how collaborative efforts can be utilized to improve cohesion. These collaborative …

Analyzing Common Mistakes In First-Year Medicine Faculty Students’ Paragraph Writing, Pervaiz Yaseeni, Fahim Rahimi, Fareed Sahil

Journal of Research Initiatives

Academic writing is a salient skill for medical students all over the world. Academic writing starts with composing effective paragraphs, laying the foundation for students' advancement in writing during college. This study investigated common mistakes in English paragraph writing committed by the first-year medical students of the Medicine Faculty at Kabul University of Medical Sciences. Additionally, it measured the challenges that Medicine Faculty students tackled in paragraph writing. This quantitative study was conducted through an action research design. The data were collected from 52 medical students, and their work was analyzed using the developed rubrics. The data were analyzed in …

Facing Publishing Paralysis In Teacher Education: Book Critique Of Writing Your Journal Article In Twelve Weeks (2nd Ed.), Donna Zerr, Carissa Gober, David Wolff

Essays in Education

Our lived experiences as Teacher Education faculty in the realm of scholarly writing was filled with anxiety and trepidation. In the attempt to develop as writers, we participated in a professional learning community book discussion on Wendy Laura Belcher’s workbook, Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success (2nd ed.). The text’s exercises helped motivate our steps through the writing process and developed productive writing habits for publication. This article is a critique of the book which helped us face and overcome our fears of writing with the intention to publish academic scholarship. The workbook …

Bridging The Gap Between Neuroscience And Education: What Are Teachers’ Perceptions Of Applying “Neuropedagogy” To High School Classrooms?, Hanan Rashwan

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers can use neurobiological explanations to evaluate students' behavior and performance and create more supportive learning settings in their school environment. There is a growing interest among educators regarding the potential benefits of incorporating neuroscience into teaching practices. However, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of how to effectively integrate cognitive neuroscience into teacher education programs to maximize its impact on student learning and teacher development. This study focuses on understanding teachers' views on the integration of neuroscience principles in educational settings by utilizing a questionnaire and interviews to gather data from participating teachers. The findings reveal that the …

Creating Assessment Rubrics For Final Teacher Education Degree Projects: A Qualitative Case Study, Carla Fernández Garcimartín, Víctor Manuel López Pastor, Teresa Fuentes Nieto, David Hortiguela Alcalá

The Qualitative Report

This paper analyzes the process of creating the assessment instruments for the Final Year Project (FYP) by education faculty based on the opinions of the lecturers. Qualitative methodology was used, with a case study design and the in-depth interview as a data collection technique. Four lecturers participated as relevant informants. The results show that: (a) the faculty decided to create the instruments due to the lack of clear assessment criteria among the lecturers in the first years (2009-2015); (b) work was carried out on three assessment instruments over two years (2015-2017): a tutor's report (without grade), a document rubric (80% …

Effects Of Plc At Work In Arkansas On Academic Outcomes, Sarah Mckenzie, Kate Barnes, Charlene Reid

Policy Briefs

This study evaluates the impact of Solution Tree’s Professional Learning Communities (PLC) at Work model on the academic achievement and growth of students in Arkansas schools. It provides the first large-scale evaluation of the PLC at Work model’s effectiveness in improving student academic outcomes. Using publicly available data from the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), the analysis uses a two-stage matching process and an event study framework to determine the effectiveness of PLC at Work across six cohorts. The findings hold significant implications for policymakers, educators, and researchers interested in leveraging professional development to enhance educational practices and student outcomes. …