Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Literacy Instruction With Autistic Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Heather Ann Marzenski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractFamilies and educators have voiced concerns about the literacy skills of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the situation. Pandemic era studies have demonstrated the ramifications that students with ASD have faced, including regression of literacy skills, lower grades, lack of support services, and subpar instruction. Teachers' perceptions remained unexamined in the pandemic era studies. The purpose of this basic qualitative dissertation was to examine teachers’ perceptions about the materials and strategies used to deliver literacy instruction during the pandemic for students with ASD. The conceptual frameworks that underpinned this study were self-determination theory …

Early Childhood General Education Inclusion Teachers’ Perceptions Of Professional Development, Susanne Metscher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the use of professional development (PD), early childhood inclusive teachers lack the knowledge and skills needed to support students with disabilities. It was unclear what types of PD teachers have received and what supports they still need. If teachers lack PD and the skills needed to teach students with disabilities effectively, then student progress may be negatively affected. The purpose of this basic qualitative research study and the research questions were to understand early childhood inclusive general education teachers’ perceptions of past PD experiences of working with students with disabilities and what supports they need to implement evidence-based practices. …

Intermediate Schoolteachers’ Perceptions Of The Impact Of Professional Development On Their Classroom Instruction, Gwendolyn Adams Lockett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite increased district-provided professional development (PD) opportunities for teachers to improve classroom instruction, there has been a steady decline of academic achievement at an intermediate school in a large urban school district in the southwestern United States. One of the factors campus administrators attributed the lack of student success to was that the district does not provide PD that is effective in changing in intermediate schoolteachers’ instructional practices. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore intermediate schoolteachers’ perceptions of the impact PD provided by the district has on their classroom instruction, as well as the impact these trainings …

Preschool Teachers’ Perspectives On Engaging Fathers In Their Child’S Education, Jawan Marquis Burwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Preschool environments set the educational foundation for children in the early years. Despite the positive effects that preschool environments have on children and families, previous studies have shown that preschool teachers are challenged to engage fathers in their child’s education. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate preschool teachers’ perspectives on engaging fathers in their child’s education. The conceptual framework was based upon Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. The research question focused on the challenges that teachers encounter in engaging fathers in their child’s education. This qualitative study included individual one-on-one interviews with 12 teachers using an open-ended …

A Sense Of Hope: Parents Treating Their Epileptic Child With Cannabidiol, Jennifer Nguyen Potage

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Epilepsy is the most common neurological condition in the world. Of those affected, about 30% are treatment-resistant, making it difficult for symptom relief. Children are also among those affected by epilepsy, and the unpredictable epileptic symptoms often induce stress, anxiety, confusion, depression for the parents/caretakers. Furthermore, epilepsy is a condition that can impair cognitive abilities, social interaction, and physical ailments. Antiepileptic drugs are the common medical treatment for epileptic symptoms. However, parents have often reported minimal positive change, ineffectiveness, and negative side effects that included nausea, fatigue, rash, insomnia, change in personality, cognitive impairment, and diarrhea. A review of the …

Extension Youth Development Professionals’ Experiences Implementing Inclusive Youth Development Programming, Crystal Renee Perry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Youth with disabilities benefit from being included in extracurricular activities. However, often youth with a disability do not participate in extracurricular activities. The purpose of this basic, qualitative study was to explore the experiences of Extension Youth Development Professionals (YDPs) as they serve youth with disabilities in their 4-H programs. The research question for this study focused on the perceptions and experiences of the YDPs implementing inclusive, positive youth development programs. Conceptually, the transfer of learning theories provided the framework for this study. Data for this study were collected through the instrument of interviews, consisting of questions focusing on training, …

Teachers’ Opinions Of Coteaching, Tashina White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Georgia’s College and Career Ready Performance Index for 2014-2016 showed that students with disabilities (SwD) did not meet performance targets when taught in co-taught inclusion classrooms with both general education teachers (GET) and special education teachers (SET) in the classrooms. The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in teacher opinions of co-taught inclusion classrooms and their ability to teach SwD between GET and SET. The theoretical basis for this study was Johnson and Johnson’s cooperative learning theory. A sample of 88 elementary, middle, and high school teachers completed the Opinions Relative to Integration of Students with Disabilities …

Military Spouses' Lived Experiences During Reintegration After A Noncombat Deployment, Trenye Black

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The reintegration of a military service member into family life after a deployment can beexciting, but the reintegration process can also prove difficult. The difficulties associated with reintegration can be compounded when there is lack of acknowledgment of challenges faced by military spouses. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of military spouses following the reintegration of military personnel returning from noncombat deployment. In-depth face-to-face interviews were completed with 9 military spouses. The resiliency model of stress, adjustment, and adaptation was used as the conceptual framework to provide understanding for factors common in the …

Examining Teachers’ School Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions And Support Practices To Improve The Behaviors Of Students With Disabilities, Lolita Michele Owens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe problem at a high school in the southeastern United States is that students with disabilities struggle to demonstrate appropriate behaviors despite the implementation of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (SWPBIS). Current research findings have suggested that although SWPBIS includes strategies for students with disabilities, the behaviors of students with learning disabilities have not improved during SWPBIS implementation. There was a need to explore teachers’ implementation of SWPBIS for students with learning disabilities. In this basic qualitative study, how teachers at the research site high school were implementing SWPBIS for students with learning disabilities toward improving maladaptive behaviors was …

Preschool Teachers’ Perspectives Of Professional Development Related To The Management Of Challenging Behaviors, Obioma Ijeoma Uche

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMany young children enter preschool programs exhibiting challenging behaviors and are suspended from preschool at a rate 3 times more than K–12 students. Many preschool students who need help are instead suspended or expelled. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore private preschool teachers’ perspectives on past or existing professional development opportunities related to children with challenging behaviors and the resources/professional development needed to support these students. Knowles’ theory of andragogy served as the conceptual lens for this study. Interview questions were developed to elicit in-depth participant responses to answer the two research questions on preschool teachers’ …

Invited Dialogue: Mapping The Intersections Of Religion, Literacy, And Public Schooling For Displaced, Immigrant, And Refugee Children: A Conversation With Loukia K. Sarroub, Jennifer D. Turner, Loukia K. Sarroub

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

Drawing on her award-winning research, Dr. Loukia K. Sarroub explains how teachers can help displaced, immigrant, and refugee youth navigate literacy, religion, and success in public schools.

This column features Dr. Loukia K. Sarroub and her award-winning research on how Arab Muslim refugee and immigrant youth navigate religion, gender, and literacy in school. Dr. Sarroub is a professor of literacy studies, education, and linguistics, and she serves as the graduate programs chair in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She was the recipient of the LRA Edward B. Fry Book Award for All …

Picturing Dual Language And Gentrification: An Analysis Of Visual Media And Their Connection To Language Policy, Edmund T. Hamann, Theresa Catalano

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

Dual language (DL) programs propose to be vehicles of social justice and transformation by valuing an additional language other than the dominant one in a society and thereby contesting language hierarchies and the subordination of those who speak/use a non-dominant language (Flores, Flores, Educational Policy 30:13–38, 2016; Menken and García, Menken, K., & García, O. (2021). Constructing translanguaging school policies and practices. In: CUNY-New York State Initiative on Emergent Bilinguals (Eds.) Translanguaging and transformative teaching for emergent bilingual students. Project. Routledge, New York.). However, Palmer (Henderson, K. I., & Palmer, D. K. (2020). Dual Language Bilingual Education: Teacher Cases and …

What Educators In Mexico And In The United States Need To Know And Acknowledge To Attend To The Educational Needs Of Transnational Students, Edmund T. Hamann, Víctor Zúñiga

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

This chapter from the edited volume "The Students We Share" explains to both US and Mexican audiences that a persistent number and proportion of K-12 students continue to circulate between both countries and thus that it is a challenge for both countries' education systems—including teacher preparation, curriculum, assessment, etc.—to see how students' knowledge and experience from the other system is both salient to their new schooling in a new country and valuable for how it will contribute to their future means for negotiating adulthood.

Teaching And Learning News Media In Politically Unsettled Times, H. James Garrett, Mardi Schmeichel, Joseph Mcanulty, Sonia Janis

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

Our research explores and elaborates the ways preservice teachers come to know and begin conceptualizing ways of teaching about news media. We report on what we interpret as their understandings and, perhaps more importantly, their misunderstandings of media literacy as they relate to their emerging ideas about what it means to teach others about crucial social and political issues of our time. The students with whom the authors worked demonstrated problematic misperceptions and misunderstandings about important media concepts and topics. These preservice teachers misunderstood the ways in which news media is different from other media genres. Additionally, they often indicated …

Influence Of Science Experiences On Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Beliefs, Saiqa Azam, Deepika Menon

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

teachers’ science teaching beliefs and explain how these beliefs influence the way these teachers interpret their science teaching and learning experiences. Supported by the theoretical underpinnings of teacher beliefs and drawings as a tool to investigate teacher beliefs, this research utilized qualitative (written science autobiographies and reflections) and quantitative (Draw-a-Science-Teacher-Test-Checklist as a pre and post measure) data collection techniques. A total of 55 preservice elementary teachers participated from two public universities located in the United States and Canada. Quantitative analysis revealed positive shifts in science teaching beliefs of preservice elementary teachers largely in two ways: A small shift representing small …

Latina Female Superintendents Securing Positions In Small Rural School Districts, Irma Castillo, Velma D. Menchaca, Veronica Lopez-Estrada

Organization and School Leadership Faculty Publications

Underrepresentation of women in the position of school superintendent has been identified as an equity issue in the field of education. National demographics show that approximately 73% of school superintendents are male as compared to only 27% female. Of these female superintendents, Latina and nonwhite female superintendents make up a small percentage of this group (Kominiak, 2016) and scarce in the literature. This research study revealed that Latina superintendents were attracted to small rural districts with a familial environment with high levels of parental and community involvement. They shared the perspective that small rural communities seemed to be more receptive …

The Influence Of Mentoring, Self-Efficacy And Perceived Organizational Support On Commitment Among Novice Adventist Teachers, Kathleen E. Forbis

Dissertations

Problem

Previous research indicated that mentoring impacts teacher commitment positively. However, there was a gap in the knowledge regarding the influence of mentoring on novice Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) teacher commitment in North America. The Adventist education system differs in significant ways from the public school system, and novice teachers need support.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the influences of mentoring, self-efficacy, and organizational support on SDA novice teacher commitment (0 - 5 years’ experience). The secondary purpose included identifying the characteristics of effective mentors and mentoring programs, while exploring novice teachers’ current experiences of mentoring, …

The Constructivist Approach Towards Identifying The Challenges Of Esp Teachers: The Case Of Aviation English, Gökhan Demirdöken Mr.

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Continuous growth of aviation industry necessitates developing a better understanding of English for Specific Purposes teaching settings to improve the quality teaching and in turn, to serve best for the needs of ESP students. Therefore, role of ESP teachers and their experiences in these teaching settings need to be closely monitored for improved professional development opportunities. Taking this into account the present study focused on ESP teachers working and giving Aviation English courses in a tertiary level institution in Turkey. The constructivist approach was adopted to uncover the challenges encountered by ESP teachers in the target setting. Five ESP teachers …

Why Become A Teacher? Exploring Motivations For Becoming Science And Mathematics Teachers In Australia, Chrystal Whiteford, Nick Kelly, Les Dawes

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There is an identified shortage of mathematics and science teachers across Australia and many of these teachers leave the profession within 3 to 5 years of graduating. This paper provides important insights on what motivates people to become science and mathematics teachers in Australia. Data drawn from two surveys, one investigating why students might become a teacher and the other examining why teachers joined the profession, are explored to provide unique insight into an area of need. Using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rho, results suggest contribution to society and love of subject area to be among the top motivators for …

The Influence Of Emotion On Preservice Teachers As They Learn To Assess Student Learning, Frances Edwards

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

_{This paper explores the experience of emotion for eight preservice teachers as they learn to assess their students while concurrently being assessed. This qualitative study utilised semi-structured interviews and assessment-related artefacts. Findings indicate that emotional engagement influenced preservice teachers’ assessment decision making. The teachers also experienced emotional reactions as in turn they were assessed. This paper argues for the need of preservice teachers to be cognisant of the influence of emotion on themselves and their work, to allow them to better rationalise their assessment decision making and reflect on their practice.}

Collaboratively Designing A National, Mandated Teaching Performance Assessment In A Multi-University Consortium: Leadership, Dispositions And Tensions, Amanda Mcgraw, Ron “Kim” Keamy, Jeana A. Kriewaldt, Robyn Brandenburg, Rebecca Walker, Nadine Crane

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

It is a requirement for pre-service students in Initial Teacher Education programs in Australia to successfully complete a teaching performance assessment (TPA) before they graduate. This follows similar requirements in other international contexts, particularly the United States, where standard-based assessment is also a focus. As members of the design team of a TPA, which was affirmed by a nationally appointed Expert Advisory Group in Australia, we examine the social processes contributing to the development of a high-stakes assessment task. Significant challenges emerged through the nature of the task and the responsibility developers had for ensuring validity and fairness, but also …

Trauma-Informed Teacher Wellbeing: Teacher Reflections Within Trauma-Informed Positive Education, Tom Brunzell, Lea Waters, Helen Stokes

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

For the last 15 years, teacher wellbeing has been a priority area of exploration within education and positive psychology literatures. However, increasing teacher wellbeing for those who educate students impacted by trauma has yet to be comprehensively explored despite repeated exposure of teachers to child trauma and their experiences of associated negative effects such as secondary traumatic stress, vicarious traumatisation, compassion fatigue and burnout. This study follows teachers’ understandings and reflections upon their own wellbeing after learning the literatures supporting trauma-informed positive education. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used as the methodological approach to represent teachers (N = 18) in order …

Creating Greater Awareness Of The Australian Professional Standards For Teachers In Initial Teacher Education, Melissa Cain, Chris Campbell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Throughout their initial teacher education training in Australia, students are informed about the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) and the necessity of gathering evidence to achieve these for teacher registration. Whilst the use of digital technologies as tools for reflection has become increasingly popular, there remains a paucity of research around the types of digital technologies that students use to document their ability to achieve accreditation requirements. This study presents details of how PebblePad, a specialised ePortfolio platform, can assist teacher education students to gain increased awareness about the 37 APST descriptors through the use of tagging. Results demonstrate …

Aboriginal Community-Led Preservice Teacher Education: Learning From Country In The City, Katrina Thorpe, Cathie Burgess, Suzanne Egan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In Australia it is well documented that teachers continue to struggle with implementing Aboriginal content, pedagogies and engaging with Aboriginal communities. This paper describes a research project analysing place-based learning for preservice teachers at an urban university led by Aboriginal community members. We argue that place-based learning is critical in developing preservice teacher’s knowledge and confidence in Aboriginal education. Surveys, individual and group yarns provided in-depth data from 64 participants completing elective courses including place-based ‘Learning from Country’ (LFC) experiences. Three key findings emerge from the data. Firstly, the utility of an experiential ‘learning by doing’ approach, secondly, the profound …

How Do Pre-Service Male Primary Teachers Cope With Gender Related Challenges?, Vaughan Cruickshank, Martin Kerby, Margaret Baguley

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Male teachers are a minority in both primary teacher training courses and in primary schools around the world. Education research has identified numerous gender-related challenges faced by male primary teachers during their initial teacher training and later when teaching in schools. Despite noting that many males leave teacher training because of these challenges, researchers have spent much less time investigating strategies to assist men cope with them and persist in the profession. This paper aims to help address this gap through an investigation of the challenges pre-service male primary teachers face during their teacher training and identifying practical coping strategies. …

Reflective Thinking Practices Among Pre-Service Teachers: Comparison Between Malaysia And Australia, Siew Chee Choy, Judith Dinham, Joanne Sau-Ching Yim, Paul Williams

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Reflective practices are considered an important part of a pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) professional learning experiences. However, there has been much criticisms on its efficacy as a learning tool for teacher professional development. This paper will relate a study that was designed to compare reflective teaching practices in two culturally different countries, namely Malaysia and Australia. These two countries were chosen as they offered an opportunity to study differences in reflective thinking practices from an Asian and a Western cultural perspective among PSTs. The study used a framework using five constructs: lifelong learning skills, self-assessment, self-belief, teaching awareness, and reflective thinking. …

The Implementation Of The Coaching Approach To Professional Experience (Cape) Model In Indonesian Initial Teacher Education: The Participants’ Perspectives, Urip Sulistiyo, Muhammad Rusdi, Jennifer Clifton, Heather Fehring, Kathy Jordan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Professional experience is considered essential to enable pre-service teachers (PSTs) to implement what they have learned during their initial teacher education (ITE) program to school environments. There are multiple models of professional experience that address the issue of integrating theory and practice. This article reports on findings of the implementation of the Coaching Approach to Professional Experience (CAPE) model in an ITE program in Jambi University, Indonesia. Using qualitative focus groups, this research focuses on the perceptions of PSTs, a school principal, mentor teachers, teacher educators (lecturer) and a coach regarding the implementation of the CAPE model. The research findings …

Teacher Quality And Teacher Education: A Critical Policy Analysis Of International And Australian Policies., Parlo Singh, Frances Hoyte, Stephen Heimans, Beryl Exley

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article examines how the ‘teacher quality’ agenda, evident in the globalised discourse on education policy, constructs changes to teachers’ work and teacher education. We undertake a critical policy analysis of two reports from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), addressing three issues. First, we discuss the global and national context in which ‘teacher quality’ policies have emerged. We examine implications of policy enactment in Australia and analyse how the OECD documents construct understandings of teacher quality. We link our analysis to a recent government inquiry into the teaching profession in Australia, looking specifically at the impact of …

Exploring ‘Next Practice’: Principals’ Perceptions Of Graduate Skills And Attributes For Future Classrooms, Angela Fitzgerald

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The phrase ‘next practice’ was coined to indicate a shift from the notion of best practice to thinking more broadly about the needs of future learners and the ways in which teaching practice might align to support these needs. In understanding what next practice means for the classroom, this study was particularly interested in examining how initial teacher education (ITE) could respond through their graduate preparation. The presented data presented is derived from an Australian small-scale qualitative study that sought to explore principals’ perceptions of graduate skills and attributes for future classrooms which captured the perspectives of six primary and …

Do Preservice Teachers Believe They Use The Australian Professional Standards For Teachers To Inform Their Professional Learning?, Kairen Call, Michael Christie, Sue E. Simon

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Professional standards for teachers are being used around the globe to educate, certify, promote and regulate the ongoing professional practice and learning of teachers. In Australia, the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST), in part, aim to support the professional learning of teachers from the Graduate to Lead Teacher career stages. Preservice teachers have been identified as being positive about the APST, and their uptake with the standards at the Graduate level appears to be increasing over time. However, our research shows that preservice teachers are not making the connection between the APST and their professional learning. This paper will …