Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Exploring Early Childhood Teachers' Beliefs And Perceptions About The Use Of Technology In The Classroom, Sharron Hallanger

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how the professional beliefs and perceptions of teachers in early childhood education (ECE) influenced their acceptance for the use of interactive technology as a learning tool for children. Eight primary grade teachers at a rural school district in Washington State were interviewed. Of the eight ECE teachers, two had no student technology use in their classrooms. The second group of two teachers had some student technology use on a weekly basis, and the last group of four teachers utilized daily student technology use in their classrooms. The sample subjects were interviewed …

Wounded Warriors And Their Transition To The Community College Classroom, Virgil Nathaniel Adkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many postsecondary institutions face challenges when veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI) enroll in college and become student-veterans. Staff and faculty may need to better understand how to accommodate these student-veterans as they transition from military to student life. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of 3 groups at a Texas community college regarding classroom accommodations for student-veterans with PTSD or TBI: (a) student-veterans with PTSD or TBI, (b) the faculty, and (c) the disability counselors. Schlossberg's theory assessing an individual's assets and abilities in transition was the conceptual framework for …

Peer Taught Sex Education's Influence On Adolescent Sexual Decisions And Hookups, Sarah Kathleen Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Teen Prevention Education Program (PEP) utilizes different methods, mainly peer teaching via skits and small groups, to help influence adolescents to make informed sexual decisions. The purpose of this study is to find how Teen PEP can have an effect on an adolescent's decision on whether to or not hookup. This study utilized interviews with participants of the program asking them about their views on hooking up and how they view how Teen PEP aided in their decision-making whether to or not hook up. While transcribing the interviews and looking for keywords related to the research questions, the analysis …

Discipline Policy And Preschool Special Education Students' Social Skills, Amanda Lee Tamagni

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Preschool special education students lack of personal-social skills is affecting their kindergarten readiness and placing them at risk for exposure to school discipline in a large school district in the Southeastern United States. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the quality of school discipline policies and personal-social skills of preschool special education students within the focus district. Ecological systems theory provided the framework for the study. Data collection included archived personal-social skills scores, as measured by the Battelle Developmental Inventory 2 (BDI 2), of 354 preschool special education students. Four trained educators rated the …

Stakeholder Perspectives On Teacher Attrition In Private Early Childhood Schools In India, Swathi Sandesh Menon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teacher attrition is a problem that has consequences for children and schools in many countries; children are affected negatively both emotionally and intellectually, while schools suffer setbacks, such as financial stress and disruption of the learning environment. This multiple case study explored the perspectives of stakeholders in India regarding how teacher attrition in private early childhood schools influenced students, teachers, parents, school leaders, and schools, as well as the factors that stakeholders identified as important for teacher retention in private early childhood education. The conceptual framework was Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Data were collected through interviews with teachers and school …

Improving School Culture To Enhance Academic Achievement At Samad Islamic School: A Change Leadership Plan, Hanan Matari, Ruqia Ali

Dissertations

The purpose of this leadership change plan was to understand the influence of Samad School’s culture on students’ academic achievement. The goal was to help Samad Islamic School to develop and follow an action plan to improve school culture. Wagner et al.’s (2006) 4C’s change leadership model was used to analyze four dimensions of the school: context, conditions, competencies, and culture. An adapted version of the School Culture Triage Survey was used to collect data. Survey results were presented to and discussed among teachers in both large and small group settings followed by written individual teacher reflections on the process. …

The Impact Of University Writing Curriculum On Preservice Teachers' Praxis I Scores, Virginia Ann Braithwaite

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Until 2014, admission requirements for the educator preparation program at a university in the north central United States included a minimum competency level on the Praxis I basic skills writing test and completion of one general education writing course. However, evidence from the university's ETS reports showed that less than 60% of students as first-time test-takers met the required score. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the required writing course in assisting students to meet the Praxis I writing competencies. In 2014, the ETS Core Academic Skills for Educators test replaced the Praxis I. Because …

Employee Resistance To Disruptive Technological Change In Higher Education, Barbara Ann Miller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employees can be resistant to work-based change, specifically when the change is due to disruptive or new technology. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of 20 Swiss-based educational employees adapting to online technologies introduced in their workplaces. Disruptive innovation theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with 20 purposely selected participants from 3 Swiss-based higher education campuses. The modified Van Kaam method was used to organize and analyze the data. Four themes from participants' responses were identified: educational employees are not resistant to technology-based change, educational …

Innovation In Higher Education: Three Sites In Haiti, Lucas Endicott

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Recent decades have brought seismic changes to global higher education. Educational leaders labor to sharpen administration, funding, teaching and learning practices in response to an increasingly globalized and technological world. The possibilities that this changing landscape may provide are perhaps most exciting for those currently economically disadvantaged and historically underserved by higher education. The advent of a knowledge economy and the need to train hundreds and thousands of new students paired with technological developments may help correct inequalities in access and excellence in education. This study asks the question: What, however, is the lived reality on the ground? Are university …

Pre-Service Educators' Understanding And Perceptions Of Asd Before And After Reading Asd Narrative Fiction, Brenda L. Barrio, Jane E. Kelley, Teresa Cardon

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Pre-service teachers and other educators are expected to understand and teach students from diverse backgrounds and varying abilities. One group that is growing in all classrooms across the U.S. are students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As such, it is essential that teacher preparation programs prepare pre-service teachers and educators to teach students with ASD. The purpose of the research was to examine the effects of pre-service teachers understanding and perceptions about ASD before and after reading young adult literature about characters with ASD. Results of parallel mixed-method research showed an increase of positive attitudes of pre-service teachers and educators' …

We Would If We Could: Examining Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy In A Middle School Mathematics Methods Course, Jamaal R. Young, Jemimah L. Young, Brandon L. Fox, Earl R. Levingston Jr., Alana Tholen

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Despite mounting evidence of the pedagogical importance of culturally responsive teaching, many teachers do not implement culturally responsive practices in their classrooms. The purpose of this study was to investigate pre-service mathematics teachers’ culturally responsive teaching and outcome expectancy in order to inform teacher preparation in mathematics methods courses. Participants completed the Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-efficacy Scale (CRTSE) and the Culturally Response Teaching Outcome Expectancy (CRTOE) Scale. Results suggest that middle school mathematics teachers were only moderately efficacious in their ability to implement culturally responsive teaching practices, despite strong beliefs in the instructional utility of culturally responsive teaching practices.

The Impact Of Attending An Equity-Based Conference On One Teacher Educator: Five Pedagogical Changes Of Practice, Rebecca Smith

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This article is a reflective overview of five pedagogical practice changes that one teacher educator made after attending a multicultural education conference. The article integrates current research to highlight the educational benefits of innovative, equity-based instructional strategies. The pedagogical changes are explored through the theoretical lens of culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995; Gay, 2010) and culturally sustaining pedagogy (Paris & Alim, 2017) and include: diversifying curriculum, engaging with community partners, collaborating with K-12 practitioners, innovative technology, and self-reflection.

Administrators' Insights Into The Preparation And Performance Of New Teachers, Sarah J. Kaka, Jennifer A. Tygret

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

There are few studies that focus on the perceptions and experiences of school administrators toward new teachers; however, understanding of both are required for accreditation. Furthermore, the school administrators’ perceptions of the training, as well as teachers’ performance and impact on student learning during their first years of teaching is vital to determine how new teachers are performing in the classroom. This case study explored these perceptions and three main themes emerged: Indicators of New Teacher Effectiveness, Evidence of Impact on Student Learning, and Identified Areas for Growth. Insight for understanding ways to improve teacher preparation are included.

Teachers' Perspectives Of Their Engagement Of Fathers In Early Childhood Classrooms, Tymeshia L. Gadson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite positive effects of parent engagement on children's school success, prior research into parent engagement has relied almost exclusively on interactions by mothers and has not included fathers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of preschool teachers regarding their engagement with fathers of children in their classrooms. The conceptual framework was Epstein's 6 types of parental involvement. Three research questions, regarding teachers' perspectives of father engagement, teachers' reported efforts to increase the engagement of fathers, and the barriers teachers describe in increasing fathers' engagement, form the basis of this study. This was a qualitative …

Advising As Literacy: A Cultural Capital Approach To Academic Advising In An Hispanic Serving Institution, Heather Smith

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation examines academic advising through the lenses of cultural capital and sociocultural literacy. I reframe advising as a literacy practice that facilitates opportunities for students to access and acquire the navigational and cultural capital required to navigate the complex structures of higher education. I describe an advising as literacy model that was designed specifically for and has been implemented at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a large, four-year, Research I Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) situated on the US-Mexico border, whose student demographic reflects the bi-national region from which UTEP draws the majority of its students.

The advising …

Art As A Mediating Tool: Children And Learning In A Music And Arts-Based After School Program, Claudia Saldana

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the experiences of primarily Latina/o children with learning music in a Music and Arts-Based Program (MABP) the context of a low-income neighborhood on the U.S- Mexico border. This year-long ethnographic study was conducted in an after-school art program in the Rio Grande Elementary School, in a low-income neighborhood located within one-mile of the U.S.-Mexico border. The purpose of the study is to understand how music and art can be used as a mediating tool for children to construct social and cognitive learning within a culturally diverse community, thus, enhancing the social environment in which they interact. The …

Dissertation: Professionalism In Trinidad And Tobago's Early Childhood Sector: A Case Study, Cynthia Juliana Celestin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This case study explored early childhood practitioners' response to government mandates for increased professionalism in Trinidad and Tobago; the impact of mandates on their personal and professional lives; and their conceptions of professionalism. The study addressed government concerns about lack of professionalism in Early Childhood Care and Education; informed policymakers of the myriad challenges therein; and included practitioners' voices in international discourse on professionalism. Change theory, systems thinking, and voice elicitation formed the conceptual framework for understanding changes needed to increase professionalism in the sector. The meaning of professionalism as defined in mandates; difference between practitioners and officials' definitions of …

Mandarin Teachers' Experiences Using Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge In Early Childhood Classrooms, Francesca Pugh-Opher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The focus of this research study was on the experiences and perceptions of Mandarin Chinese teachers who used technologies and innovative instructional methods to teach second language skills to young learners. The conceptual framework drew on 3 theories: (a) Vygotsky’s sociocultural learning theory, (b) Schӧn’s action theory, and (c) Mishra and Koehler’s technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). The research questions focused on the experiences of early childhood teachers integrating TPACK to teach Mandarin Chinese and how do early childhood teachers perceive the use of instructional methods to teach Mandarin Chinese. Purposeful sampling was used to identify 8 Mandarin Chinese language …

Factors Influencing Teacher Burnout And Retention Strategies, Sean Brady Scott

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Teacher attrition has become a significant problem within the field of education. Despite research reporting retention strategies and programs that can decrease this trend, teachers continue to burnout of the workforce due to stress and an inability to cope with teaching conditions. This research article explores the underlying problem of burnout, including the symptoms and extent in which they manifest, as well as possible strategies to decrease attrition and keep teachers in the classroom. By compiling research that suggests tested programs and supports that help retain teachers, both individuals and schools can explore these avenues further in hopes of combatting …

The Relationship Of English Language Scores On International Students' Academic Success, Rebekah Shbeeb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

International graduate students at the University of Central Florida (UCF) are not completing graduate programs at the same rate as domestic graduate students. One of the main differences in the admissions process for international graduate students compared to domestic students is the English language test requirement. The purpose of this study was twofold: to test if the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the (International English Language Testing System) IELTS scores have any statistically significant linear relationships to international graduate students' academic success as defined by their cumulative grade point average (CGPA). Secondly, this study sought to …

At The Heart Of Policies And Programs: Community College Faculty Members And Peer Mentors As Human Levers Of Retention, Kimberly Russell

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Student attrition prior to the completion of a credential is an issue that has increasingly demanded the attention of stakeholders in higher education, particularly in the community college sector, in which less than half of all students complete a credential after six years. The costs of student attrition are high and widespread, ranging from the financial costs for institutions and federal and state governments to the personal and monetary costs paid by those students whose personal and professional goals are not achieved. With the ever-increasing focus on accountability for institutions of higher education and the growing movement toward performance-based funding, …

Review Of Towards Equity And Justice In Mathematics Education, Edited By Tonya Gau Bartell, Emily Lardner

Numeracy

Tonya Grau Bartell, editor. 2018.Toward Equity and Social Justice in Mathematics Education. (Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing). 341 pp. ISBN 978-3-319-92906-4 (also available as an e-book).

Toward Equity and Social Justice in Mathematics Education is a welcome addition to ongoing conversations about what mathematics should be taught and how it should be taught at both the college and pre-college level. Although the primary audience for the volume will be math educators and researchers, readers of this journal will discover intersecting interests, concerns, and strategies.

Course Taking And Teacher Data-Driven Decision Making Self-Efficacy And Anxiety: A Secondary Analysis, Valerie M. Hamilton

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

An expanding culture of accountability in education has led to an influx in the amount and types of data teachers are expected to collect and use to increase student achievement. Research has identified data-driven decision making (DDDM) as a way for teachers to use educational data to promote more effective instruction and ultimately, to better student outcomes. Despite available data and research that supports the use of DDDM, using it to make instructional decisions is still a struggle for teachers. Therefore, this study looks at the relationship between DDDM-related coursework and teacher self-efficacy and anxiety for DDDM. In theory, DDDM-related …

An Exploration Of Teacher Perceptions Of The Presence Of Cultural Reproduction In Two Middle Schools, Kaitlyn Montcrieff

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Contemporary challenges to education pose threats that our current educational system remains unable to meet. With the prevalence of school shootings, rapid technological development, threats to mental health, superficial curriculum content, increased testing standards, and continued inequality in classrooms, now more than ever it is imperative to define, explore, and quantify the ways in which the system of education reproduces or replicates norms, values, behaviors, and practices and the effects these possibly have on students and teachers. The purpose of this research is to redefine 'cultural reproduction' into reproduction and replication in order to explore how the education system in …

Supporting Clinical Practice Through Rehearsals, Lubna Javeed

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Rehearsing is a form of pedagogy in teacher education to prepare pre-service teachers with instructional practices before live enactments in a classroom. This qualitative study used grounded theory to explore how rehearsals impacted five elementary literacy courses in a university teacher education program. Data comprised of prolonged observations, video recordings of rehearsals, and surveys. The process of coding and re-coding resulted in findings that reflect rehearsing provided Teacher Candidates with confidence with lesson presentation, improved understanding of literacy content, and understand how to make in-the-moment instructional decisions.

Using Virtual Reality And Web Conferencing Technologies: Exploring Alternatives For Microteaching In A Rural Region, Raymond A. Dixon, Cassidy Hall, Farjahan Shawon

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Preservice teachers’ views of two types of technologies which provided realistic environments in which to practice microteaching are described: (1) TLE TeachLivE™ Lab, a virtual reality environment that employs avatars as students in a virtual classroom, and (2) web conferencing technology to synchronously teach students in remotely located classrooms. Preservice teachers opined that each technology offers a relatively realistic environment that allows them to interact with virtual and real students. Microteaching through these technologies increases their self-confidence and provided a safe, non-threatening environment for them to reflect on their practice. We concluded these emerging technologies can provide viable alternatives to …

Field Experiences In Literacy Teacher Preparation: A Snapshot Of Current Practices, Laurie A. Sharp, Rebekah Piper, Roberta D. Raymond

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This qualitative study used social constructivism as a theoretical lens to examine ways in which literacy teacher educators incorporate field experiences during literacy coursework. A cross-sectional survey was distributed among literacy teacher educators affiliated with teacher preparation programs located in a single Southern state. Responses related to field experiences were retrieved from 42 surveys and analyzed with two cycles of coding. Findings indicated that preservice teachers completed a range of field experiences prior to student teaching that involved observing literacy instruction and leading literacy instruction with individual students and small groups of students. Incongruences between reported field experiences and recommendations …

The Relationship Between A University-Based Mentorship Program And First-Year Teachers’ Performance, Alicia C. Stapp, Laura F. Prior, Catherine Harmon

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Teacher attrition affects both the stability and quality of schools. Nearly 24% of teachers leave after one year, 33% leave after three years, and 40-50% leave within their first five years (Geiger & Pivovarova, 2018). Effective mentorship programs can effectively assist teachers in overcoming the challenges that lead to resignation. This study implemented a teacher mentorship program where the mentor was a teacher educator who had worked with the mentees in their undergraduate program. Utilizing a qualitative approach, the study examined first-year teachers’ performance through monthly field observations, interviews, and self-reflections. Themes emerged that are critical to a first-year teacher’s …

Promoting Nurses Management Of Night Shift Sleepiness, Sunday Iken Okundolor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurses are largely unaware of the problems of night-shift-nurse sleepiness and available strategies to manage night-shift sleepiness. The purpose of this project was to examine nurses' self-perception, awareness of sleepiness, and current strategies to manage this problem in the emergency medicine department of a major academic hospital in the western United States. The validated de-identified Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) was used to measure the prevalence and intensity of night shift nurses' sleepiness prior to the development of an educational program on strategies to manage sleepiness. Of the 164 registered nurses surveyed, 72 (43.9%) reported sleepiness greater than 7 on the …

Developing Mathematics Teachers’ Attention To Quantitative Reasoning In Task Design: A Modeling Approach, David Glassmeyer

Numeracy

This study examines how a models-and-modeling perspective affected teachers' attention to quantitative reasoning in task design. A Model-Eliciting Activity (MEA) was implemented with 21 teachers over four weeks, challenging teachers to design a quantitative reasoning task for their students. Teachers’ initial quantitative reasoning tasks did not incorporate quantities or quantitative relationships, two essential components of quantitative reasoning. As teachers revised their tasks through the MEA, most teachers began attending to these components. This article details how a modeling approach to teacher education provided a method to describe and support teachers to incorporate quantitative reasoning in their classroom tasks, though attending …