Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Bridge Over Troubled Water: Creating An Ecology Of Transformative Care For Students At Risk Of Their Promise, Cherina O. Betters

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The teacher-student relationship is multidimensional and fluid. This is especially true for students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Educational leaders in the public school setting cannot control which students enroll at their school sites. The only thing teachers, as educational leaders in K-12 public education, have complete control over is the environment they create in their classrooms. Among those student groups most reflecting few gains on state and federal reports of proficiency data are students who typically come from backgrounds besieged with challenges or from historically underserved and marginalized communities. In this transcendental phenomenological study, the phenomenon investigated was how …

An Evaluation Of Avid As A Supplemental Education Program At The Middle School Level, Lori Bradner

Dissertations

This is a study of AVID as a supplemental education program at the middle school level that includes a quantitative evaluation of the academic efficacy of AVID utilizing anonymized, longitudinal student achievement data. The second section is a qualitative evaluation of the AVID program at one middle school within a district to determine the perceived efficacy of the AVID program among stakeholders using surveys and interviews. This also includes a discussion of the necessary change in leadership determined by the evaluation portions of this project. The third portion outlines a policy change essential for satisfactory outcome as defined by AVID …

Motivating Teachers To Lead In Low-Performing Schools: A Qualitative Study Of School Leaders In Three Arkansas High Schools, Joseph D. Fisher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study addressed the problem of motivating teachers to take on leadership roles in “low-performing” schools. Coupled with the high demands of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) being placed on public school principals to ensure that all students achieve and successfully graduate high school, better ways to distribute leadership and share responsibilities among teachers were identified. The research question and purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify the perceived leadership behaviors of high school principals in once labeled “low-performing” schools that support the motivation of teachers to take on leadership roles. Nine identified teacher leaders and …

The School Librarian’S Role In Writing Instruction: Research, Perceptions, And Practice, April M. Dawkins, Karen W. Gavigan

Faculty Publications

The degree to which librarians are actively involved in developing the writing skills of students has primarily been studied in academic libraries (Bronshteyn and Baladad 2006, “Librarians asWriting Instructors: Using Paraphrasing Exercises to Teach Beginning Information Literacy Students.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 32 (5):533–536; King 2012, “Essentials of Basic Writing Pedagogy for Librarians.” Community & Junior College Libraries 18:55–66. Accessed March 20, 2016. doi:10.1080/ 02783915.2012.700211; Smith 2001, “Keeping Track: Librarians, Composition Instructors, and Student Writers Use the Research Journal.” Research Strategies 18:21–28) and has rarely been researched in terms of K-12 settings either in the United States or internationally. …

A Tradesperson’S Transition To Vocational Technical (Vt) Teaching, Susan J. Sylvia

Educational Studies Dissertations

This qualitative study examined survey and interview data collected from tradespeople who transitioned to vocational technical (VT) teaching in regional vocational technical schools in Massachusetts. This study included two research questions that inquired about how tradespeople’s prior experiences, beliefs, and thoughts influenced or inspired them to pursue a transition to vocational technical (VT) teaching and about how their anticipated transitional experiences aligned with their actual transitional experiences. The survey phase included 170 respondents. Survey responses provided an overview of participants, which was integral in identifying four interview participants who were digitally recorded during one-to-one interview sessions. A multiple Case Study …

Asking The Tough Questions: Teaching Literature And Nonfiction Through Critical Literacy To Recapture Our Voices, Agency, And Mission, Elsie L. Olan, Wendy Farkas, Kia Jane Richmond

Conference Presentations

Exploding the Myth of Mental Illness

Disrupting Notions Of Stigma While Empowering Voices: Examining Language Identity, Mental Illness, And Disability Through Young Adult Literature, Elsie L. Olan, Wendy Farkas, Kia Jane Richmond

Conference Presentations

Presenter Two will share new research on young adult literature which features characters with mental illness. She will describe strategies for using texts such as Your Voice is All I Hear (2015), Thirteen Reasons Why (2007), and The Impossible Knife of Memory (2014) to analyze and critique representations of mental illness in young adult literature. Drawing on research by Koss & Teale (2009) and Richmond (2014), this presenter will help session attendees interrogate “the power of language choices” and “become empowered to confront the stigma associated with mental illness and confront bullying” (p. 24).

Exploring Historical Empathy In Secondary Education, Melanie Alsene

Selected Honors Theses

This thesis sought to explore the purpose of teaching history, to define historical empathy, to discover if historical empathy is being taught in secondary public schools, and to see what methods of instruction teachers utilize. Research was done by conducting interviews of middle school and high school history teachers from different schools in the area. These interviews sought to find out if teachers could come up with their purpose for learning about history, if they could define historical empathy, and what methods they utilized to teach historical empathy. Some of the teachers were able to define historical empathy and gave …

Managing Race And Race-Ing Management: Teachers’ Stories Of Race And Classroom Conflict, Sherry L. Deckman

Publications and Research

Little is known about how novice teachers construct and interpret classroom management moments—instances when they perceive their ability to maintain order and promote sanctioned behavior is tested—in a way that contributes to or challenges racial bias. Using data from a hybrid, online/in-person professional development course for beginning teachers, I find two patterns of connecting race and classroom management. Teachers in this study tended to share stories either about “managing race”—narratives about deescalating racial tension or reproaching transgressors of racial colorblindness—or “race-ing management”—stories that read race into incidents in such a way as to reveal latent racial dynamics. Further, these patterns …

Student-Centered Approaches To Teaching Grammar And Writing, Lindsay J. Jeffers

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This article questions the continued reliance on traditional approaches to the teaching of grammar, particularly the memorization of parts of speech and grammar rules. Years of studies show that grammar instruction out of the context of writing is detrimental to students. Despite much progress toward student-centered instruction, traditional methods of teaching grammar are still a cornerstone of writing instruction in many English classes. The article suggests more effective, student-centered approaches that focus on students developing as writers and readers. Through modeling and inquiry, students focus on writing as a craft and make choices as writers. It’s essential that research about …

Wrong Place, Right Time, Rachel Mazor

Occasional Paper Series

Mazor recounts working in the three distinctly different environments during her first year of teaching: sixth-grade math, pre-school social studies, and first-grade reading. Each of these experiences taught her specific skills that she later applied to assignments; additionally, each experience helped her develop her own style as a teacher.

Staying Connected: Measuring The Impact Of Technology Integration On Student Engagement And Achievement At The Middle Level, Jaclyn M. Swayne

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Knowing how technologies impact student engagement and achievement is vital. The present study validated and added to the existing knowledge in determining to what extent specific levels of technology integration impact student engagement. It also addressed how specific levels of technology integration impact student achievement in middle level English Language/Arts and mathematics classrooms using 1:1 tablet technology. The descriptive study with statistical analysis provided quantitative evidence to educational leaders on the extent to which increasing levels of technology integration can increase student engagement. This evidence was generated using classroom observation data and Fisher’s exact cross-tabulation analysis. The study also provided …

Influencia Del Inbound Marketing En La Intención De Compra De Los Leads, Denise A. Soto, Allen Kevin Zapien

Adventist Online Learning Conference / Conferencia de Aprendizaje en Línea

La llegada de la internet ha revolucionado la manera en que las empresas se comunican con los consumidores, así como también la forma en que ellos dialogan con la marca.

El inbound marketing es una metodología que combina técnicas no intrusivas de marketing para ofrecer valor con contenido de calidad, de manera que los consumidores se acerquen y se los pueda acompañar en su proceso de compra (Samsing, 2016). ¿Cómo esta estrategia puede ayudar en el reclutamiento de estudiantes?

Student Centered Learning In A Blended Learning Approach, Sharon Aka

Adventist Online Learning Conference / Conferencia de Aprendizaje en Línea

Student Centered Learning is an intentional teaching philosophy utilized in the blended learning environment. It’s about facilitating learning, not content presentation. Come discuss building rapport, learning retention, active learning, Bloom’s taxonomy, and the issue of what to do online, versus what to do in class.

Stories From The Field: Lessons From First Time Online Teachers, Shirley Freed, Kristi Kis, Joyce Susanne Virginia Irrgang, Klaus Irrgang, Tony Reeves

Adventist Online Learning Conference / Conferencia de Aprendizaje en Línea

Teaching online for the first time is a unique experience! Hear stories from first time online teachers, with reflections, recommendations, and suggestions for administrators providing support and training for faculty.

Building Communication Plans For Online Student Service Beyond Course Interaction, Glynis M. Bradfield

Adventist Online Learning Conference / Conferencia de Aprendizaje en Línea

How do we develop support for students at a distance comparable to service on a physical campus? Come to learn and share best practices in creating communication plans that consider the student’s journey from interest to applicant to admitted and enrolled student all the way to contributing alumnus.

Design Thinking And Online Education, Andrea Filatro, Carolina Costa Cavalcanti, Everson Muckenberger

Adventist Online Learning Conference / Conferencia de Aprendizaje en Línea

DT is an approach that promotes innovation, creativity and problem solving. At UNASP Virtual Campus, DT is incorporated into the planning and execution of distance undergraduate programs. As the students develop integrative projects that articulate the content from different courses of the program, they build collaboratively bridges between theory and practice.

Keynote: Redefining The 100%, Larry Blackmer

Adventist Online Learning Conference / Conferencia de Aprendizaje en Línea

Examine the compelling reasons for pursuing, persisting, and providing Adventist education. Be inspired by a compelling vision to supply Adventist education to all Adventists, using digital tools and pedagogies to make Adventist education accessible to all.

Larry Blackmer is the North American Division Vice President for Education. He has served as a teacher, principal, and boys’ dean at the K-12 level throughout the United States. Larry served as associate superintendent in the Michigan Conference and superintendent of schools in the Idaho Conference. As associate director and then vice president for NAD Education, his duties include secondary education, marketing and technology. …

Beyond The City Lights: A Multiple-Case Study Of Successful, Experienced Secondary Science Teachers In Rural Schools, Beverly R. Devore-Wedding

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

Recruitment and retention concerns for teachers, particularly in rural school districts and in science, fill the daily news and research literature. The shortage of STEM workers is also another concern as well. Then why do nationally recognized secondary science teachers remain in rural schools with lower salaries, increased responsibilities beyond teaching content, and multi-preparations, stay in those schools? How do they overcome challenges in their schools?

This multiple case study focuses on Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) awardees who have taught secondary science in rural school districts 10 years or more. Eight rural PAEMST high …

Teacher Retention In Zimbabwe: Love For Teaching Or Incentives?, Clifford Gomba

Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative interpretive study investigated the lived experiences of qualified teachers who have remained in teaching for more than 10 years in Zimbabwean rural secondary schools. In understanding how teachers make meaning of their remaining in teaching, the focus is also on the role and place of teachers in society. The experiences were investigated using a dialoguing unhu theoretical framework based on the writing of Lortie (1975) and unhu philosophy. Teacher participants were drawn from three rural secondary schools in Chirumhanzu district in the Midlands province of Zimbabwe. In addition, two teachers who left teaching in Zimbabwe and are resident …

Knowledge And Practices Of Faculty At Nasm Accredited Institutions In The Southeast Region Regarding Standards-Based Instruction, Jonathan Leon Nelson

Dissertations

In 1993, Congress passed the mandate Goals 2000: Educate America Act, which established standards for K-12 education that outlined the core benchmarks of student achievement for individuals who have mastered the core curricula required to earn a high school diploma (Mark, 1995). Unfortunately, these curricular requirements did not include any criteria for music education, nor did they consider the curricular implications for higher education in providing NSME Standards based training for music educators.

The aim of this study was to determine if and to what extent music education faculty engage in NSME Standards-based instruction within the higher education classroom. Questionnaires …

Modeling Inquiry-Oriented Instruction Of Beginning Secondary Science Teachers, Lyrica Lucas, Elizabeth B. Lewis

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

New national science education standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, in the United States (US) promote inquiry-based instruction through an integrated emphasis on scientific practices and disciplinary content. Thus, it is important for beginning science teachers to reach proficient implementation of reformed teaching practices by the end of their induction phase in order to become effective science teachers. Yet, extant science education research studies on development of beginning teachers’ classroom practices is rare. In this study, we collected data from a longitudinal study of science teachers from two teacher preparation programs - a bachelor’s program with teacher candidates who had …

Setting The Standard For Project Based Learning: A Proven Approach To Rigorous Classroom Instruction, Michael Dias, Laurie Brantley-Dias

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Study Of The Positive Transformation Of Public High School Cultures As Perceived By Administrators, Teachers, And Classified Staff Members, Amy L. Besler

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to discover the factors which contribute to the positive transformation of a comprehensive public high school’s culture as perceived by the school’s administrators, teachers, and classified staff. An additional purpose of the study is to determine what similarities and differences exist between the perceptions of administrators, teachers, and classified staff.

Methodology: The researcher identified comprehensive public high schools within the state of California where measurable growth in positive perceptions of school culture had been achieved within the preceding two to four years. Of this target population, six schools were identified, through …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Educational Games That Keep Score Of Cooperative Performances, Theodore Alden Wohlfarth

Dissertations

The scoring systems used in traditional sports and games are founded on the zero-sum premise that players are on opposite sides and one side can win only if the other side loses. These scoring systems may be effective at nurturing zero-sum mindsets and providing data for assessing performance in win-lose relationships. If so, games that use different scoring systems can be used to facilitate the development of collaborative mindsets, nurture win-win skills between diverse groups, and enable objective self-assessment of performances in non-zero-sum events when engaging with those on “other sides.” Although economic game theory has rich reservoirs of research …

Shaking Up Shakespeare: Teaching For The Contemporary High School English Classroom, Megan Sampson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Contemporary high school English students find Shakespeare distant because they believe Shakespeare is hard to understand. Pairing Shakespeare with thematically-similar contemporary texts can make his works more accessible to students. Using different angles on the same theme shows students that Shakespeare presented some universal issues that still have relevance today. The Literacy Design Collaborative modules included within this thesis use Shakespeare in cooperation with other texts to focus on a specific theme. Using the module structure, teachers can organize the unit’s overarching goals and can include all handouts and necessary materials. This structure of design incorporates literacy-centered practices in order …

Undergraduate Engineers And Teachers: Can Students Be Both?, Malinda S. Zarske, Maia L. Vadeen, Janet Y. Tsai, Jacquelyn F. Sullivan, Denise W. Carlson

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Today’s college-aged students are graduating into a world that relies on multidisciplinary talents to succeed. Engineering college majors are more likely to find jobs after college that are outside of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields, including jobs in healthcare, management, and social services. A survey of engineering undergraduate students at the University of Colorado Boulder in November 2012 indicated a desire by students to simultaneously pursue secondary teacher licensure alongside their engineering degrees: 25 percent ‘‘agreed’’ or ‘‘strongly agreed’’ that they ‘‘would be interested in earning grades 7–12 science or math teaching licenses while [they] earn [their] engineering …

The Plight Of The Gifted Student: A Call To Action, Krista M. Shilvock

Empowering Research for Educators

With so many needs in today’s public education classroom, we cannot forget the needs of those who excel in the classroom, too. Gifted students face severe neglect in class due to the appearance of their competence and maturity. However, we quickly face losing the contributions of a major group of students as this neglect causes them to lose interest in their own education. As teachers, we must challenge ourselves to help gifted students reach their potential just as we attempt to do for all subgroups of students. A poll of 22 gifted students confirms these frustrations and needs of students. …

Immigrant Parental Involvement In Student Academics, Charles Tebben

Empowering Research for Educators

Abstract

This study is meant to focus discussions about the importance of the involvement of immigrant parents in respect to student academics. In this study I intend to make evident a relationship between parental involvement and student academics, after which I will draw in a conclusion of the resources utilized by my community at the elementary and middle schools. I’m conducting my research study starting at elementary school and running through middle school. I’m eliminating the high school period because of their unique parental involvement complexities which share little constraints and outcomes with the lower levels. To build my study, …

Growth Mindset In The Classroom, Luther L. Kiger

Empowering Research for Educators

This article discusses how Mindset can effect a students educational and social life.