Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Finding Evidence For Understanding The Level Of Technology Integration By Teacher Candidates: A Mixed Methods Analysis To Support Caep Standards, Jennifer R. Jackson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Accrediting bodies, such as the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), are increasingly focused on how teacher preparation programs integrate technology. As part of the Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA) teacher candidates demonstrate essential classroom skills through submission of teaching videos, lesson plans, and reflections. This study examined which of these three document types provides the strongest evidence of technology use among teacher candidates. Using a technology integration model, the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM), this study quantitatively assessed the levels of technology integration and characteristics of the learning environment visible in a stratified random sample of 150 submitted documents. …

Community Immersion For Homegrown Teachers: Learning “There Are Never Just Negatives…”, Elizabeth A. Skinner, Apryl Riley

Faculty Publications - College of Education

The authors describe an initiative between an urban public school district, a city college, and a college of education to establish a pipeline of teachers of color from and for the school district. The qualitative research occurred during the teacher candidates’ participation in a community immersion program. Centering the teacher candidates’ experiences and reactions to the community immersion highlights their identity, commitment to teaching, and the importance of exposing homegrown teachers to communities beyond their own. The authors discuss community-based curriculum in the preparation of teachers and consider how the experiences of teacher candidates of color impact program implementation.

A Deep Dive In Preservice Teacher Self-Efficacy Development For Teaching Robotics (Rtp), Jennifer Jill Kidd, Kristie Gutierrez, Min Jung Lee, Danielle Marie Rhemer, Krishnanand Kaipa, Pilar Pazos, Stacie I. Ringleb, Orlando M. Ayala, Francisco Cima, Isaac Koduah Kumi

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Nationwide K–6 engineering and coding standards have made it increasingly important to prepare elementary preservice teachers (PSTs) to teach these subjects confidently and effectively. Robotics, which combines coding and engineering, provides a rich context for developing PSTs’ expertise and self-efficacy. This study builds on prior work in which PSTs in an instructional technology course collaborated with undergraduate engineering students to co-teach robotics lessons to fifth graders. Using a multiple-embedded case study approach, we examine how the interactions and teaching roles within these partnerships influenced PSTs’ teaching self-efficacy. Drawing on reflections, lesson recordings, surveys, and interviews, we present the cases of …

Exploring Teacher Pathway Programs: The Importance Of High School Students’ Perspectives, Mackenzie C. Kasgorgis

Honors College Theses

This thesis explores and investigates the effectiveness of teacher pathway programs for high school students interested in education. The aim is to find and discuss the importance of teacher pathway programs and how they benefit the participants involved. This paper intertwines my analysis of the extant scholarly literature and my use of qualitative research methods during my immersion in two summer programs. Through participant observations and a survey, I gained insights into the participants’ perspectives that provided me with raw, unbiased views and opinions on the teacher pathway program. Student participants’ perspectives include the experiences they faced during the program, …

A Descriptive Case Study Of An Innovative, University-Based Coaching System For Resident Teachers, Matthew J. Wester

Dissertations

Teacher residency programs (TRPs) have emerged over the past two decades as an effective model of teacher preparation. Within this alternative pathway to teacher certification, pre-service teachers, known as resident teachers, engage in a lengthy clinical teaching experience under the guidance of a trained mentor teacher and field supervisor while concurrently completing closely aligned, graduate-level coursework.

A key element of successful teacher residency programs is the use of a structured coaching system to support resident teachers — defined in this study as the components that form the coaching framework for resident teachers within a defined educational context, operating together to …

Supporting Preservice Teachers Of Color In Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Kimberly M. Korpita

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While learning how to become culturally and critically conscious educators and advocates for their PK-12 students, racially minoritized preservice teachers often feel isolated. More research is needed to learn how teacher preparation programs could consistently empower rather than isolate preservice teachers of color as they engage in coursework involving culturally relevant pedagogy.

This study focused on the experiences of preservice teachers of color engaging in culturally relevant pedagogy coursework in a K-12 teacher preparation program at a predominately White institution. In partnership with this teacher preparation program, one current preservice teachers of color, five former alumni of color, and three …

An Analysis Of The Learning Activity System Of An Elementary Education Program For The Development Of Social And Emotional Competence In Preservice Teachers, Lisa Sheldon Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods descriptive case study examined how a public research university's elementary education teacher preparation program develops social and emotional competence (SEC) in preservice teachers. Using Engeström's Expansive Learning Theory framework, the study analyzed the tools and mediating artifacts within the program's learning activity system, specifically focusing on activities known to develop SEC. Through semi-structured interviews with 18 instructors and comprehensive document analysis, the study found that SEC development is extensively integrated throughout the program's coursework and field experiences. Three primary types of SEC development activities were identified: self-reflection/self-awareness, active listening, and collaboration. The study revealed a significant correlation between …

Enhancing Democracy Through P-20 School-University Partnerships In Teacher Education: Implications For Educational Leaders, Rebecca West Burns

Democracy & Education

The purpose of this paper is to share how schools and universities can partner intentionally through Professional Development Schools to enhance democracy by answering the questions: (1) What is it about Professional Development Schools, as robust school-university partnerships, that give voice to teachers to enhance democracy, particularly in a high-stakes accountability climate? and (2) How can schools and universities create robust partnerships to empower teachers’ voices in a high-stakes accountability climate? The paper argues that educational leaders in schools and universities must change their mindset and their practice to form partnerships in ways that rethink teacher preparation, induction, and professional …

Course Correction: Examining 2020’S Middle Level Teacher Education Through A Critical, Antiracist Lens-A Collaborative Self-Study Of Teacher Education Practices, Kristie W. Smith, Kristina N. Falbe

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

The work of teacher education in a 2020’s context is challenging and filled with opportunity. With a diversifying P-12 student body (Love, 2020; Pitts, 2019) and the confluence of social, political, and educational factors (Nieto & Bode, 2018), the complexities of teacher education are vast and fluid. In a historical moment that has included teaching in a time of pandemic, national reckonings over race and injustice, and explicit legislation to guide teaching about social history (Kelly et al, 2023), effective middle level teacher education is multifaceted. It calls for the development of teacher candidates skilled in creating school environments that …

Preparing Anti-Racist Teachers: A Case Study Of Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Racism And Program Coherence In Equity-Centered Teacher Preparation, Mildred Joyner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This case study explored the perceptions preservice teachers had regarding racism in educational contexts, how those perceptions were shaped by their teacher education program, and to what extent their teacher education program had coherence in preparing anti-racist teachers. Within the context of a large, minority serving institution in the Southwest preparing teachers for one of the most racially, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse districts in the country, the need to prepare anti-racist teachers who are able to recognize and remedy opportunity gaps for multi-marginalized students is evident. Because little research has focused on the perceptions and lived experiences preservice teachers have …

Sorry, Not Sorry: Activating Moments Of Slippage Through Transpedagogical Practice, Lynn Sanders-Bustle

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

While innovative approaches to teacher preparation are implemented in teacher preparation curricula, most curricula and practicums continue to be built around expected and normative standards of teacher practice. Intended to prepare future teachers to be successful in K-12 settings burdened by the impact of a stifling audit culture, policy overreach, continued efforts are needed to prepare preservice teachers for contemporary unknowns of pedagogy through contemporary art practices.

In this article, the author/inquirer examines preservice teachers’participation in transpedagogical practice (social practice) aimed at guiding high schoolers in a 2019 social practice project designed to make change in their schools. In this …

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 …

Rural Teacher Preparation In The State Of Alabama, Avington Medeiros, Eva Kane

The Rural Educator

Rural teacher recruitment and retention is a matter of interest for the state of Alabama as policymakers look to understand teacher shortages in rural schools across the state. How teachers are prepared to teach in rural schools is an essential part of rural teacher recruitment and retention. Preservice teachers need exposure to rural contexts as a part of their teacher preparation programs. This study examined how teacher preparation programs in Alabama are integrating rural-specific components. Among the 25 teacher preparation programs in Alabama, nearly 25% reported integrating three or more rural-specific components into their teacher preparation programs. Some teacher preparation …

Teaching English Language Learners: Exploring The Instructional Modifications Mainstream Teachers Use, Nilufer Guler

Journal of English Learner Education

The number of language learners (ELLs) is increasing rapidly at U.S. schools. Mainstream teachers have an important role in the academic success of these students because ELLs spend most of their school time in mainstream classes and are pulled out a few hours in a school day for ELL services. This research aims to uncover the educational experiences of ELLs in mainstream classes. Using statewide systematic initiative and qualities of linguistically responsive teachers as theoretical frameworks, I collected survey data from 129 teachers and interviewed 15 teachers. The results have shown that teachers tend to translate language for their students …

Learning Disrupted: The Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Student Teacher/Supervising Practitioner Relationship, Bethany Tremblay-Price

Educational Studies Dissertations

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the lives of educators across Massachusetts when schools closed their doors to in-person learning for the school year. Online teaching and learning became the norm as teachers quickly adapted their lessons for virtual classrooms. Student teachers were among these educators, finding themselves quarantined for the final months of their teacher education programs. Literature suggests that the student teaching semester and the relationships formed within it are integral to teacher education. How would these relationships fare through this interruption to the field experience? This qualitative case study examined the relationships between student teachers and …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 8, Issue 1, Spring 2024

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Spring 2024 issue (Volume 8, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The Spring 2024 issue presents research and commentary on trends and best practices in higher education, with a focus on public policy implications for literacy instruction, adjusting instructional programs to Generation Z learning preferences in English courses, and increasing students' critical thinking and self-reported ability through an interrupted case study approach.

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Computer-Based Instruction For Training Pre-Service Teachers In Simultaneous Prompting., Mary P. Elliott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been a significant increase in the use of distance education (DE) in institutions of higher education (IHEs) that is leading to a shift in pedagogy and practices. In the fall of 2021, approximately 61% of undergraduate students nationally were enrolled in at least one online course. A growing number of teacher preparation programs, including special education programs, are utilizing asynchronous course and program designs to combat the critical shortage of certified teachers, yet little research has examined which asynchronous teaching methods are effective for the development of critical teaching skills such as evidence-based practices. One asynchronous teaching method …

“I’M Going To Have To Be Far More Prepared": A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Teacher Candidate Discussion And Projected Teaching Of Literature., Taylor Rose-Dougherty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative dissertation study contributes to conversations around the practical knowledge gap–professional behaviors or practices which are underdeveloped in available research–between critically oriented literacy teacher preparation programs and praxis in early career classrooms. Critical literacy, or engaging with major texts, discourses, and ways of communicating in a culture or context, attempts to locate and disrupt power imbalances and encourage justice-oriented activism. While teacher candidates (TCs) often practice critical literacy in their training programs, they often struggle to facilitate critical literacy instruction in their own classrooms. Using Thematic Analysis (TA) for data reduction and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) for data analysis, …

Seasons Of Learning: Rural Indigenous Teacher Preparation, Dani O'Brien, Josh Montgomery, Bezhigogaabawiikwe Hunter, Niizhoobinesiikwe Howes, Waasegiizhigookwe Rosie Gonzalez, Manidoo Makwe Ikwe, Kevin Zak

The Rural Educator

We, four teachers in Ojibwe or majority-Ojibwe schools and three teachers in teacher preparation at a small ecologically focused liberal arts college, tell stories to reorient ourselves, centering place in ways accessible to our emerging practice. In these narratives, anchored in the seasons, we describe our challenges and successes in adapting education programs to better evoke the lifeways that predominate in our shared part of rural northern Wisconsin immersed in the lands of the Ojibwe. We relied on experiences, both ours and of Ojibwe learners, to illuminate the rhythms of our place and the seasons of learning defined by boreal …

A Roadmap For Trauma-Informed Practice Integration In Teacher Preparation Content, Kathryn S. Young, Ofelia Castro Schepers

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

With the continued interest in trauma-informed practice (TIP) knowledge at the P-12 level, it has become imperative to consider the role of teacher preparation programs in providing this crucial knowledge to preservice educators. The TIP program at Mountain U (pseudonym) School of Education (SOE) is working to increase the current TIP knowledge of preservice teachers so that they are ready to implement TIP from the beginning of their careers. This paper adds to the trauma-informed literature in teacher preparation by describing the TIP initiative at Mountain U. It provides a roadmap for schools and departments that want to undertake this …

Building Community Through Asset Mapping In An Alternate Route To Licensure Program, Jori S. Beck, Christina J. Lunsmann, Dan Moore

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Teacher preparation programs in the U.S. have adopted social justice approaches in their work. However, it is necessary to investigate how teacher preparation programs foster an asset orientation in teacher candidates—particularly as Alternative Routes to Licensure have increased in popularity. The current investigation was an interview study of teacher candidates’ experiences after completing an asset mapping activity as part of their field experiences. Participants consistently described how the activity helped them to foster relationships with their students through (a) making connections, (b) humanizing students, and (c) community scaffolding. We explore the implications of these findings for teacher preparation research and …

Centering The Needs Of Language Learners Within Educators’ Professional Learning And Development: An Investigation Of Teachers’ Perceptions And Experiences In Meeting The Needs Of Language Learners, Kimberly Tsukiyama

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study explores K-12 classroom teachers' perceptions and experiences in meeting the needs of language learners, specifically English language learners (ELLs) and dual-language learners (DLLs). Addressing two main research questions, it investigated how teachers' preservice learning and development prepared them for instructing language learners and identified preparatory experiences and professional learning considered beneficial and critical to their development in this area. Through surveys, teacher interviews, and classroom observations, the study highlighted challenges faced by teachers in settings with diverse language populations, including native Japanese, Spanish, and Arabic speakers, as well as native English speakers learning a second language. It …

Pre-Service Training On Media Education For Teachers At Czech Universities, Karolína Mackenzie

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The study shows the content of future teachers’ education and their needs to teach media education in their future practice. The preparation of future teachers within the faculties of education varies considerably across Europe, as does the level of teaching in primary and secondary schools. In the Czech Republic, media education is a cross-cutting topic in primary and some types of secondary schools and is rather rarely found in the university training of future teachers. The research shows the areas in which future teachers were prepared in their teacher training, their sense of readiness to teach and their needs in …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 7, Issue 2, Fall 2023

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Fall 2023 issue (Volume 7, Issue 2) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The Fall 2023 issue presents research and guidance on topics related to educational adaptation. The first article by C. Farrell describes an adaptation of the interteaching method to the hybrid delivery method. The second article by C. C. Loose and R. Jagielo-Manion describes a study of modules on personalized learning to preservice teachers and its impact on their comfort level and preparation to implement personalized learning in their classrooms. The third article by B. …

Building Efficacy In Special Educators: An Examination Of Basic Readiness Factors, Clarice Wright Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined the perceptions of self-efficacy of elementary special education teachers (SETs) providing services for students with disabilities (SWD) in the general education classroom setting. Additionally, this study explored the effect of job-embedded supports and the skill sets deemed essential to meet the needs of SWDs. Understanding methods that can enhance the skill sets and pedagogical knowledge of SETs beyond teacher preparation can provide schools and school districts with opportunities to build highly efficacious teachers and improve student outcomes. Participants were asked about the perceived impact of teacher preparation programs on the self-efficacy of practicing SETs and about …

“I Changed My Mind”: Exploring Why College Students Change Majors To Become Teachers, Ross Bussell

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

While teacher education programs have long studied what draws students to choose a career in teaching, a less studied aspect of teacher candidates relates to students who change majors to become teachers. As a phenomenon that is common in teacher preparation, I am interested in better understanding why this happens. This article centers around six participants who began college choosing a science major, changing their course of study after at least one full year. Through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, a discussion of what led the participants to change majors, what they were looking for when deciding to become teachers, and …

Towards Critical Reflexivity In Gifted Education Teacher Preparation, Inna Kruvi

Theses and Dissertations

Ever since the emergence of gifted education in the United States in the beginning of the twentieth century, the concept of giftedness has been used to marginalize, segregate, and exclude students of particular backgrounds from specialized academic programs. Among the factors that contribute to unequal access to gifted education for ethnically, culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse (ECLED) students, teacher bias, deficit thinking, and insufficient teacher preparation have been identified as especially significant (Coleman et al., 2015; DeWet & Gubbins, 2011; Mansfield, 2015). Among various approaches to mitigate underrepresentation of ECLED students, the concept of cultural humility (Tervalon and Murray-Garcia, 1998) …

Meeting The Needs Of Multilingual Students: Using Teacher-Reported Challenges And Successes For Teacher Preparation, Vanessa Z. Mari, Steve Hayden

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Preparing teachers to meet the needs of multilingual students is the goal of TESOL and Bilingual education programs in higher education. What these programs use to determine what these needs are can vary by location, faculty, and population of learners. This qualitative study surveyed in-service teachers applying for their TESOL or Bilingual endorsements in a college in the southwest United States. Research questions asked about the challenges and successes teachers face in meeting the needs of multilingual students and used this data to determine themes. The data showed that teachers encounter challenges meeting the needs of multilingual students in the …

“There's An Unspoken Set Of Rules”: Rural Education In The Northern Plains, Louise M. Yoho, Jarrett D. Moore

The Rural Educator

Teacher preparation programs that operate in rural areas need to consider the lived experiences of rural students when making instructional decisions. However, exploration of rural schools and educators is seriously limited. This study aims to gain an understanding of students enrolled in teacher preparation programs in rural areas of the Northern Plains and the unique experiences they bring to, and need from, preservice teacher training programs. Seventeen interviews were conducted with rural participants who were enrolled in teacher preparation programs. Based on the data collected, we do not recommend changing the traditional canon of teacher preparation but do recommend contextualizing …

Social Studies Standards And Teacher Preparation In Minnesota: An Examination In Relationship To Native American History, Kellian Clink

Library Services Publications

Five teacher preparation programs were examined to understand how teacher candidates are prepared to educate their students about Native American history in Minnesota.