Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Meeting Diverse Student Needs: An Examination Of A Physical Education Teacher Alumnus’ Culturally Responsive Teaching Beliefs And Their Enactment, Craigory V. Nieman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how one physical education teacher education (PETE) alumnus teaching in a CED urban school perceives culturally responsive teaching in physical education (PE), as well as how they enact it in their classes. Guided by culturally responsive teaching and self-efficacy, this study examined John, a physical education teacher education alumnus teaching in a CED urban elementary school. John completed the culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy scale (CRTSE; Siwatu, 2007), five semi-structured interviews, five reflection journal prompts, and eight voice memos over the course of 12 weeks. Additional data collection included text messages, emails, and …

Chasing A Moving Target: Examining Shifts In Elementary Teachers' Language And Conceptions Of Digital Literacy During Professional Learning, Stephanie M. Branson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emerging and transforming innovations carry with them new ways of conceptualizing literacy practices in the classroom. As the technology revolution forges ahead and permeates the elementary school setting, teachers must consider how they talk about and model digital literacy practices. Digital literacy goes beyond merely operating technology tools and devices. It includes the cognitive and social processes that take place when reading, writing, and communicating in digital spaces and with digital tools. To understand the integration of digital literacies into the classroom, we must better understand how teachers develop digital literacy competencies and dispositions through focused and intentional professional learning …

Identifying Contributors To Disproportionality: The Influence Of Perception On Student Social, Emotional, And Academic Behavior Ratings, Chelsea Salvatore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Successful implementation of the MTSS framework involves equitable assessment and decision-making. This calls for researchers to investigate the processes utilized to identify students for early behavioral support, such as multi-informant universal social-emotional behavioral screening. The current study aimed to investigate this by first examining the usability of the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Subscale (SAEBRS) and the student self-report version (mySAEBRS) across Black and White students in grades seven through nine. After examining these tools for measurement invariance, the trifactor model was employed with race as a predictor variable to examine the mean difference of Black and White students’ scores …

The Redesign And Evaluation Of A Higher Education Online Instructor Certification Program, Lindsey W. Mercer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following exploratory case study is a program evaluation of a certification program for online instructors at a high-enrollment, 4-year research-intensive university in the southeast. Since 2014 the Online Instructor Certification (OIC) has operated as the predominant platform for preparing faculty to teach online at the site of study. The OIC contributes to meeting institutional strategic initiatives including accreditation and goals from the state board of governors. Using the Kirkpatrick training evaluation model, this study evaluated the OIC on the first three levels including how participants perceived the certification (Level 1), what participants learned (Level 2), and how participants applied …

The Effects Of An Interactive E-Book On Promoting Idiomatic Competence And Motivation Among L2 Learners Of Arabic Language In Saudi Arabia, Alfaifi Adel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Native Arabic speakers used idiomatic expressions such as idioms, formulas, and collocations, in their daily communications. In learning Arabic as a second language (L2), effective communication requires “the ability to understand and use idioms appropriately and accurately in a variety of sociocultural contexts, in a manner like that of native speakers, and with the least amount of mental effort” (Liontas, 2015, p. 441). Yet, promoting L2 idiomatic competence in the classroom and beyond remains a difficult task (Liontas, 2006; Tabatabaei, 2012). The utilization of e-books in the learning environment in L2 teaching in the English language has received much research …

Play-Based Pedagogies In Saudi Kindergartens: Examining Teachers’ Perceptions And Practices, Manal O. Alharbi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I explored three Saudi kindergarten teachers’ play-based pedagogies. I conducted a qualitative case study (Stake, 1994) in order to examine these teachers’ perceptions of play and describe the ways they incorporated play into their classrooms. My research questions were: How do three Saudi kindergarten teachers perceive play-based learning? In what ways do three Saudi kindergarten teachers implement play-based learning? Participants taught kindergarten in a large private school that served early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school students in Saudi Arabia. Classroom observations and interviews with the teachers were the central data sources. To analyze the data, I …

Information Dissemination And Perpetual Network, Harshit Srivastava

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social networks have attracted increasing attention from both physical and social scientists. Social networks are essential elements in societies, serving as channels for exchanging various benefits, such as innovation, information, and social support. Moreover, research in social networks helps explain macro-level social phenomena, such as social polarization and social contagion. An understanding of social networks has significant implications, such as improving social welfare and political participation. Modeling social network formation has typically employed game theory or agent-based modeling. These studies typically propose simple and tractable micro-level rules for link formation mechanisms and show that these rules have implications for known …

Designation, Stagnation, And Representation: A Qualitative Exploration Of The Self-Perception Of Power Among Ncaa Division I Senior Woman Administrators, Tayler M. Onion

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite significant growth and advancement for women and girls participating in sports, we have not seen the same trend for women in leadership roles in athletics – even with the introduction of the Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) designation. The SWA designation was implemented in 1989 to ensure that at least one woman would be involved with the leadership of athletic departments following the NCAA’s takeover of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) in 1981. Confusion and misperceptions have surrounded the role, and, as a result, impacted the women who serve in it. This study’s phenomenological design aimed to …

Bridging The Gap Between Academia And Industry: A Program Evaluation On University-Industry Collaboration, Lan Reneé Amboy-Biller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A significant amount of money is spent on professionalizing the workforce. At the same time, there is limited research on the effectiveness of academic-to-industry corporate partnerships as an innovative solution for meeting workforce development objectives. This exploratory study evaluates an existing University of South Florida industry partnership to identify characteristics of a sustainable university-to-industry model. The program has operated over the last nine years, providing degree completion programs for industry employees. This program evaluation includes an analysis of stakeholders, advisors, mentors, and participants’ perceptions. The evaluation findings identified key factors of consideration required when establishing and operating a University-Industry partnership. …

Saudi Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs And Practices Regarding Digital Technology In Early Years Education: A Qualitative Case Study, May Mohammed Alyaeesh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated Saudi pre-service teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding digital technology in early years classrooms. It sought to determine whether participants were prepared to employ such technology to meet the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 national development program. This topic was viewed through the lens of the TPACK framework. The study found that the student teachers were not sufficiently prepared to infuse digital technology. They held positive beliefs about digital technology infusion but were concerned about young children’s use of this technology. There was an absence of effective practices, participants’ technical competence was very basic, and their recognition …

Adapting The Montessori Method In Saudi Early Childhood Classrooms, Lila A. Alhashim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored how teachers have adapted the Montessori method in Saudi early childhood classrooms to align with Saudi socio-culture and Islamic practices. The study was framed using the socio-cultural theory. A qualitative multi-case study design was used to collect data from semi-structured interviews and on-site observations for four Saudi early childhood teachers in two Montessori classrooms in Saudi Arabia. The data were thematically analyzed manually and with NVivo software. The study results showed that the teachers encouraged children’s independence and freedom of choice in work time and during the classroom day, but limited their freedom during mini-lessons and circle …

Minecraft In Language Teacher Education: Acceptance And Integration In Practice, Kristen E. Fung

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In today’s technological era, understanding if and how teachers’ acceptance and integration of technology evolves is critical to understanding their needs. Technology creates complicated demands on educators and research shows various factors may contribute to their limited success at integrating it (Bustos & Nussbaum, 2009). Research also shows that teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards pedagogical innovations and information and communication technologies are prominent factors that impact adoption and integration (Tejedor & Muñoz-Repiso, 2006), and the perceptions teachers develop as pre-service teachers influence their classroom performance as in-service teachers (Moon et al., 2016). While research shows plentiful evidence of the educational …

Community Scholars: A Diversity Pipeline Program To Promote Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion For People With Disabilities, Laura M. Rodríguez López

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation in practice documents the program evaluation of the Community Scholars (CS) program at the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities (FCIC), a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at the University of South Florida (USF). CS is part of a diversity pipeline program that recruits youth with disabilities to engage in paid on-the-job training (OJT) with FCIC. Scholars are community members (youth with disabilities) that are enrolled as FCIC trainees and receive mentoring, development of basic administrative competencies, individualized career coaching, college counseling, and disability policy and self-advocacy training. Through the OJT experience, scholars gain skills that …

From Practitioner To Scholarly Practitioner: Exploring The Perceptions Of Edd Students "Becoming", Caridad M. Gibson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Doctoral students who engage in a Professional Doctorate of Education degree program (EdD) are expected to experience a transformative shift from practitioner to scholarly practitioner. Through their engagement in the EdD program, they enter as practitioners, who become equipped to transfer and reintegrate their knowledge within their practice and field, and through this transformative process, they become scholarly practitioners. The EdD becoming represents the critical learning events, dialogues, and reflections experienced by doctoral students. Researchers have conducted studies to examine various aspects of the EdD degree including the credibility of the degree, the effectiveness of programmatic elements, rigor within programs, …

African American Males' Perception Of Factors That Contribute To Success In Higher Education, Gary D. Oliver

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decades, many studies have concluded that African American students' college completion rate and success lag far behind other students attending college in the United States (The JBHE Foundation, Inc., 2006). More specifically, these studies have confirmed that African American male students' success rates remain disproportionally low compared to other ethnic male groups. Unfortunately, few notable studies identifying African American males achieving higher education or completing their academic pursuits have been presented as part of the Black male student narrative.

This study aimed to understand better the resources and experiences that positively affect African American males who completed …

Educating Culturally Relevant Leaders: Experiences In Leadership Identity, Capacity, And Efficacy Development In College Students, Ana C. Maia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation study explored meaningful experiences contributing to students’ identity, capacity, and efficacy development as culturally relevant leaders. In Chapter One, I detailed the importance and relevance of this topic in the field of higher education. Then, I reviewed the literature on college student leadership development; defined leadership identity, capacity, and efficacy development; and culturally relevant leadership learning (CRLL; Bertrand Jones et al., 2016). In the third chapter, I described the qualitative methodological approach to uncovering how college students develop leadership identity, capacity, and efficacy to engage in culturally relevant leadership. I approached this study from a critical constructivist paradigm. …

Advising Latinx Students For Postsecondary Career And Technical Education (Cte): A Qualitative Study Of High School Counselors In Florida, Adriana C. Magana

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gather detailed descriptions of information, resources, and interventions that school counselors use to inform and advise Latinx students of postsecondary CTE options. A qualitative study with semi-structured interviews was conducted to understand how Florida school counselors advise Latinx students for postsecondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) options. A three-prong conceptual framework was used, drawing from Bourdieu’s (1986) Theory of Cultural Capital, career development theories, and the American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA) National Model.

Ten school counselors working in public high schools in Florida participated in semi-structured interviews for this study. Altogether, the study’s …

First-Generation Female Doctoral Students’ Perceptions Of The Doctoral Experience, Nancy Carol Carr

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of my study was to understand the perceptions of first-generation female doctoral students (FGFDS) and what factors may impact first-generation female doctoral students’ completion of their doctoral program. As the researcher, I collected data through: (a) interviews, (b) participant generated photographs, (c) the group meeting, and (d) the researcher’s personal reflexive journal. Two research questions guided this exploratory qualitative study: In what ways do first-generation female doctoral students in the College of Education perceive their experiences impact their progress during their doctoral program at a large research university in Central Florida?; and what factors do first-generation female doctoral …

Saudi Efl Learners’ Detection And Comprehension Of English Vivid Phrasal Idioms: A Conceptual Replication Study, Basma A. Moreb

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was a mixed method research. The quantitative part investigated Saudi English learners’ English vivid phrasal (VP) idiom detection differences by lexical level, semi- lexical level, and post-lexical level, as well as comprehension and interpretation by zero-context and full-context conditions. It also researched the extent to which Saudi English learners differed in their scores on the measure of participants’ perceptions on the need for including VP idioms in classrooms. The qualitative part of this study investigated the challenges Saudi English learners faced while completing the detection and comprehension tasks and the strategies they used to detect and comprehend the …

English Language Learners’ Perceptions Of Employing A Social Annotation Tool To Promote Peer Support, Engagement With The Text, And Reading Comprehension, Inanc Karagoz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

International students in English-medium higher-education programs read various texts from different fields in English throughout their studies. Many students find reading for academic purposes less enjoyable which, in turn, has a negative effect on their engagement and reading comprehension. Collaboration through social annotation tools may transform the process of meaning-making into a social activity. The extant literature focuses on its impact on comprehension and learners’ attitudes. To add to the literature and understand remote learners’ experiences, I explored international students’ perceptions of employing a social annotation tool on promoting their peer interactions, reading engagement, and comprehension in a hybrid EAP …

Psychometric Characteristics Of Academic Language Discourse Analysis Tools, Courtney (Cici) Brianna Claar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Academic language plays a key role in students’ educational success, yet its development in primary grades is poorly understood and often neglected (Snow & Uccelli, 2008). Academic language skills may enhance overall academic performance if targeted early and intensively. However, current methods of assessment are not sufficient to understanding the construct well enough to develop evidence-based intervention strategies. This investigation examined the psychometric properties of two discourse analysis tools designed to directly measure students’ comprehension and production of academic language. Academic language samples (n = 7,887) from a previous cohort-design study (n = 1,040; Kindergarten through third grade participants) were …

A Descriptive Exploratory Case Study Of University Of Central Riyadh Collaboration With Public Schools In Preparing Teachers, Arwa Alazwari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive exploratory case study is to explore the collaboration between the University of Central Riyadh (UCR) (pseudonym) teacher preparation program and public schools in preparing teachers. This study was framed using the theory of social constructivism. Qualitative methodology was used to collect data by using semi-structured interviews with three university supervisors (USs), three cooperating teachers (CTs), and three preservice teachers (PSTs). All the participants were from the curriculum and instructor department at UCR. The qualitative data were thematically analyzed using NVivo software. This study found that UCR and public schools collaboration was one-directional, meaning the collaboration …

“Sometimes I Do This Thing”: Exploring Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge And Beliefs About Reading Instruction, Sherridon Leigh Sweeney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior research has established preservice literacy teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning are often misguided and/or overly-simplistic, yet limited work has examined in what ways their in-the-moment teaching decisions align or misalign with what they believe. This qualitative study used deductive analysis methods to: (1) Identify three preservice teachers’ knowledge/beliefs about reading, reading instruction, and learning, as evidenced by their planning, reflecting, and in-the-moment teaching decisions, and (2) investigate if/how participants’ knowledge/beliefs manifested across multiple teaching experiences. Findings indicate that while participants made attempts to act on professional ideas they explored/practiced with the support of a university-based mentor, they taught …

Assessing Required Hospitality Competencies Among Students, Industry Professionals, And Faculty, Angad Singh Dang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the competencies important for success in the hospitality industry, based on the perceptions of hospitality faculty, professionals, and students. To identify the competencies, the research employed the following steps: initial survey development, input from a focus group panel of experts, review by validation panel of experts on revised survey, pilot study of process for final survey and data collection using the revised questionnaire. The study targeted hospitality students who were enrolled in a 4-year undergraduate degree program, faculty who taught in a 4-year hospitality under-graduate or graduate program, and hospitality professionals who …

High School Teachers’ Perceptions Of Promoting Student Motivation And Creativity Through Career Education, Kyeonghyeon Park

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to investigate teachers’ perceptions and experiences of career education as to how career education shapes students’ intrinsic motivation and creativity in a high school in South Korea. Career education in South Korea aims to help students discover their interests, skills, aptitudes, and passions, and to help them understand what they need to achieve their goals in the future through the opportunities of various experiences. Career education can help students increase their intrinsic motivation and creativity as well as discover future occupations through various types of activities. This study was informed by two theoretical frameworks, Self-determination theory and …

Healthcare Profession Students Of Color Participating In International Service-Learning, Ellyn Katherine Couillard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative exploratory case study investigated the healthcare profession students’ of color experience and the perceived impact of completing international service-learning (ISL). Before this study, most of the research about healthcare profession students in ISL reported had mainly White participants or reported data and findings in the aggregate. To complete this research, I performed two semi-structured interviews with each of the five participants incorporating photo-elicitation techniques. Then I performed constant comparative methods and communicated with a peer debriefer about my findings. Five participants were selected using max maximum variation based on racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, programs of study, and …

Self-Perceptions Of Major Choice And Employability Skill Development In Sophomore Business Students, Melissa A. Kulp

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Today’s college students expect that an outcome of a college education is to be prepared to secure a well-paying job within their field of study after graduation. Within career services offices, career preparation is typically focused on upperclassmen looking for internships and jobs, leaving sophomore students to make major and career decisions on their own. The purpose of the study is to understand what on-campus experiences sophomore business students had to aid them in their major and career path choices, how they define and interpret three employability skills, and which experiences helped them develop these three employability skills needed to …

An Exploratory Study Of Technology Use By Older/Senior Men For Enrichment, Communication, And Social Connectedness, Emerson Campbell Hardy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

More older adults are moving toward options for digital connection; keeping up with and learning technology is challenging. Older adults’ perceptions of the difficulty of learning to use technology may contribute to their hesitancy to adopt technology options (Barnard, Bradley, Hodgson, & Lloyd, 2013). The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to explore the experiences of older/senior men learning and using technology for enrichment, communication, and social connectedness; and (2) to identify learning experiences and/or supports that aided these older/senior men in building knowledge, confidence, and comfort in technology use.

This was an exploratory qualitative study utilizing in-depth interviews. …

Development And Initial Validation Of The Parent And Family Engagement In Higher Education Measure, Michelle R. Mcnulty

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the history of higher education in the United States, parents and family members of college students have often found themselves as obsolete to the postsecondary experience. Minimal research has been dedicated to understanding the experience of parents and family members of college students until the millennial generation began their collegiate years (Harper et al., 2012; Wartman & Savage, 2008). In consideration of a new generation of college students (i.e., Gen Z) and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, it is crucial to illuminate the complexities of parent and family engagement in higher education and the needs of …

The Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy And Career Action Steps Of Humanities Students: A Quantitative Survey Analysis, Catherine Gorman Cordova

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In an era of governmentally controlled education systems sustained through performance-based funding metrics, the value of higher education is often considered justified by socioeconomic impact and degree employability. Although modern academia traces its roots to the humanities and liberal arts for its foundation, degrees without direct job relation, and the students seeking these degrees, are often considered less employable than majors directly linked to vocations. However, the humanities and labor market are not mutually exclusive. Influenced by Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) (Lent, et al., 1994), Self-Efficacy Theory (Bandura, 1977), and Career Maturity Theory (Crites, 1973), this cross-sectional quantitative survey …