Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Effective Practices Of Feedback Of Elementary School Administrators During The Post-Observation Conference, Michael Galvin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research identifies two purposes for teacher evaluation: measurement and professional growth; however, the literature provides limited research on the impact of the post-observation conference in teacher evaluation on professional growth (Marzano, 2012). The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study is to examine the perceptions of Indiana public elementary school principals on the impact of the post-observation conference on professional growth of teachers. The study uses an Elementary Administrators’ Background Questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to gather an in-depth understanding of administrators’ perceptions.

Four research questions framed this study as I examined public elementary school administrators’ perceptions of post-observation feedback within the …

Reflections On Professional Development: An Autoethnographic Study In Theories Of Practice, Sara Elizabeth Jennings

Dissertations

This autoethnographic project extends the work of Argyris and Schön (1974); Houchens (2008); Houchens and Keedy (2009); Houchens, Hurt, Stobaugh, & Keedy (2012); and Houchens, Stewart, and Jennings (2017) by replicating an experiment in reflective practice using a self-coaching protocol as a means for mapping one’s own theories of practice. Relying on selfreflexivity to study professional learning in a culture of school reform, the author used Argyris and Schon’s (1974) theories of practice as a conceptual framework by adapting a self-coaching protocol (Houchens, 2008; Houchens et al., 2012; Houchens et al., 2017) and pairing it with selfobservations of video-recorded instructional …

The Influence Of Professional Development On Teacher Self-Efficacy In Gifted Education, Keely P'Pool

Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to study the impact of effective professional development training provided to both preservice and inservice teachers about gifted education and gifted students. This research also seeks to discover whether a notable difference exists between preservice and inservice teachers in regard to the increase in their knowledge and self-efficacy upon completion of the professional development training. A quantitative approach using a survey and a required training was used for all participants. Study participants included preservice teachers attending a southern Kentucky public university who were taking education classes as well as inservice teachers from 11 school …

Examining The Effects Of A Curriculum-Based Professional Learning Community On Teacher Efficacy Toward Inquiry-Based Science Instruction, Samuel Joel Northern

Dissertations

Improving STEM education is pivotal to our country’s economic future and security. Unfortunately, most young students have limited access to standards-based science education. Science instruction is notoriously difficult to implement in the early grades. This dissertation explored the root causes for the lack of effective science instruction in elementary schools, including accountability testing, instructional time, historically weak standards, family factors, teacher efficacy, and professional development.

This study aimed to understand how elementary school teachers’ attitudes promote or hinder the implementation of science instruction. This study’s primary driver to improve science education in the early grades was a curriculum-based professional learning …

Raising Cross-Cultural Awareness Among The Undergraduates Through Intentional Design In A Culture Course In The Us—An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Experimental Design, Hua Wang

Dissertations

The cultivation of intercultural competence is a growing trend globally, and integration of intercultural competence into coursework was widely acknowledged as a valid strategy to achieve this goal. The purpose of this study is to examine (1) the effects of the intervention of connecting one’s own culture to affect students' cross-cultural awareness development in American colleges; and (2) students’ perceptions of their own cultural‐awareness changes. Data was collected through pre-and post-questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. This study also compared between-group participants’ posttest ratings on a cross-cultural awareness scale, as well as pre- and post-test ratings within each group. The quantitative and …

Ua83 Wku Chapter Of American Association Of University Women, Wku American Association Of University Women

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by the WKU chapter of the American Association of University Women.

Ua86 Wku Education Association, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by the WKU chapter of the Kentucky Education Association. Includes meeting minutes, correspondence and banquet programs.

Ua82 Wku Chapter Of American Association Of University Professors, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by the WKU Chapter of American Association of University Professors. Includes correspondence, meeting minutes and newsletters.

Do Faculty In-Class Incivility Behaviors Predict Type Of Out-Of-Class Interactions Between Faculty And Students?, Trudy-Ann Crossbourne

Dissertations

The present study explored relationships between two larger streams of research—faculty-student interactions and destructive leadership embodied in faculty incivility towards students. While interactions with faculty outside of class offer tremendous benefits for students’ intellectual and socio-emotional development, avoidance is one of the demonstrated outcomes of destructive leadership on followers and of faculty incivility on students. The theoretical basis for this study was the premise that faculty incivility displayed in class, as perceived by students, could predict the frequency and type of interactions in which students engage with professors outside of the classroom. To test this conjecture, a sample of 785 …

Students' Perceptions Of A Teacher Leader Master's Program, Evgenia Mauzy

Dissertations

Teacher leadership is one of the key components of school success. However, teacher leader education has not been the focus of research. This quantitative study explores the central research question: What are the perceptions of teachers completing the Western Kentucky University Masters of Art in Education (MAE) Teacher Leader Program regarding their level of professional preparation?

A Likert-type double matrix descriptive survey with correlational design covered students’ perceptions of level of professional preparation on a 5-point scale at the beginning and the end of the program for the ten MAE Program Standards. All data were gathered from students in the …

Perceptions Of Incivility In Nursing Education: A Survey Of Associate And Baccalaureate Program Nursing Students, Kim Elaine Young Vickous

Dissertations

This study explored differences of nursing students’ perceptions of student and faculty incivility, measured using the Incivility in Nursing Education survey, across semesters and between Associate and Baccalaureate of Science nursing students. A sample of 262 Associate and Baccalaureate of Science nursing program students enrolled in second, third, and fourth semesters from a state university located in the mid-south participated in the study. Descriptive statistics, Analysis of Variance, and Independent t-tests were conducted to examine the research questions. These questions explored what student and faculty behaviors were perceived as uncivil and most frequently occurring (disruptive and threatening) uncivil behavior in …

Catholic School Faculty Meetings: A Case Study Linking Catholic Identity, School Improvement, And Teacher Engagement, Daryl Craig Hagan

Dissertations

While research on faculty meetings is limited, existing literature suggests that meetings could be an arena where schools can address their common challenges (Brandenburg, 2008; Michel, 2011; Riehl, 1998). The purpose of this case study was to gain an understanding of the perceptions of Catholic school teachers on teachers in a high-performing Catholic school regarding their own faculty meetings and to explore how faculty meetings engage teachers in the work of promoting Catholic identity and school improvement. This dissertation builds on the work of Macey and Schneider’s (2008) Model of Employee Engagement, as well as McGrath’s Model of Group Effectiveness …

I'M Gonna Write That Down: Research On Bullying And Recognition Of Perception Toward Initiation Of Intervention A Whole-School Approach To Bringing All Stakeholders' Perceptions On Bullying In Line And Training Students To Distinguish Tattling From Reporting In Grades 3-6, Brad Tassell

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research on whole-school bullying programs shows some effectiveness in creating awareness and a reduction in overall bullying with vigilant supervision. Roleplaying games repeatedly taught to students help them deal with bullying in specific situations, but all these interventions leave a great deal to be desired when conditions are not in line with the training, most of which most are not (Smith, Schneider, Smith, & Ananiadou, 2004). In addition, student perceptions can differ from the staff and administration. A wide gap exists between how students, parents, teachers, and administrators perceive bullying. Students remain confused and flounder in the moment when they …

A Survey Of Factors Affecting Enrollment In Mathematics Teacher Education Programs, Rebecca Miller

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Concern for an adequate supply of competent mathematics teachers prompted this research. The study was implemented to identify the factors believed to be of importance in a student's decision concerning whether or not to become a public school teacher.

A comparison was made between two groups of mathematics students at Western Kentucky University. Mathematics students were separated according to whether or not they were pursuing teacher certification.

A two-part questionnaire was administered. The first part asked students to rate the importance of 10 selected career factors in their career decision. The second part asked students to rate these same 10 …

Comparative Instructor Attitudes Toward College Level English And Mathematics Experiences For Gifted High School Students, Bruce Vickers

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Samples derived from a mailed questionnaire were compared. The sample represented high school, community college and university instructors of mathematics and English. The Kentucky public schools sampled were equally represented among high school, community colleges and universities. The research indicated that of those instructors sampled a very high percentage (97.7%) feel that those high school students shown to be academically gifted would benefit from a college experience before high school graduation. The attitudes of those instructors sampled indicated that multiple criteria – grades, recommendations, standardized test scores and personal interview – were considered the preferred method of selection (82.5%). The …

Ua12/2/41 Memo, Vol. Ii, No. 1, Wku Student National Education Association

Student Organizations

Newsletter created by the WKU SNEA organization. This issue was a combined effort for SNEA and Future Teachers of America. It contains lists of officers for the two organizations, information regarding American Education Week, conferences and upcoming events.

Reorganization Of Spencer County, Kentucky School System, C. L. Francis

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

To study present school system of Spencer County and to devise a plan of reorganization of present system in order to provide a well rounded educational opportunity for the boys and girls of Spencer County, Kentucky. The consideration of this problem are:

1. Comparison of teacher qualifications in the types of schools.
2. Computation of enrollment, average daily attendance of the various types of schools.
3. Determination cost per pupil and total cost of operation of present school system and reorganized school system as salary of teacher, maintenance, transportation and needed buildings.
4. Provision for free transportation of all high school pupils.

The Reorganization Of Hopkins County Schools, John Adams

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Purpose of the study - Educators and lay citizens alike, in the main, want the schools to extend their services so as to meet all the educational needs of the youth. Surveys of the schools in the Hopkins County District in recent years have convincingly revealed that these services are not being rendered. At the suggestion of the Hopkins County School Superintendent H.W. Wilkey, and others this study is being made.

This is an intensive study of the schools of Hopkins County as they exist today, with suggestions for a plan of reorganization to bring them to the point of …