Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Comparison Of Beginning Teachers' And Experienced Teachers' Readiness To Integratetechnology As Measured By Tpack Scores, Heather S. Fontanilla

Dissertations

Despite a growing awareness of the importance of technology in education, increased investment and attention to preparing teachers to integrate technology into the classroom, research shows that technology continues to fail to live up to its potential for transforming education. As schools move from standards based testing to implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), an expectation exists that teachers will be using technology to transform their teaching practices. There is also an expectation that schools are providing students with 21st century skills, including the use of technology. In exploring the reasons teachers are not using technology effectively, much …

A Mixed-Methods (Quantitative-Qualitative) Study To Identify The Perceived Level Of, Zeky Zardo

Dissertations

Different approaches to developing leaders have been established through various forms of self-assessment, action learning, and education and training activities (Smither et al., 2005). The existing body of research on the impact and success of college and university leadership development programs focuses heavily on undergraduate leadership programs and not graduate-level programs such as the Master of Business Administration (MBA) or the doctorate. The purpose of this mixed-methods (quantitative–qualitative) study was to identify the perceived level of transformational leadership skill development by students enrolled in a doctoral program in organizational leadership. In addition, it was the purpose of this study to …

“Meeting Proficiency – Can Elementary Schools, With Subgroup Of Students With Disabilities, Exit Program Improvement After 2014?” “A Study To Determine If Instructional Strategies And/Or Inclusionary Practices, And Principal Support Of These Practices, Contributed To Schools Reaching Safe Harbor, Meeting Ayp Benchmarks Or Exiting Program Improvement In The 2012-2013 School Year.", Carolyn Lindstrom

Dissertations

In 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act, which required all students to be proficient in English and Math by 2014. (Congress, 2002), including all subgroups. Students with disabilities were expected to meet the proficiency criteria along with all other subgroups. NCLB also required schools to report assessment scores to reflect the achievement of students as well as demonstrate all students were meeting, or at least making gains to achieve, proficiency. If students did not reach the expected benchmark the school was identified as failing and placed in Program Improvement. (CDE, 2011) Each school year, …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of Emotional Literacy Instruction On At-Risk Students, Shannon H. Garcia

Dissertations

This study examined the impact of social-emotional literacy instruction for at-risk adolescents ages 13 to 18 at the high school level. Of particular interest is the impact of social-emotional literacy instruction on at-risk youth Grades 9-12 in secondary high schools’ 8-week-long social-emotional literacy class through Project AWARE, particularly in the areas of suspension, expulsion, attendance, connectivity, attitude toward school, resiliency, and relational aggression rates; the data were analyzed using archival data and teacher interview. Project AWARE, the social-emotional literacy intervention examined in this study, educates and provides mentorship for at-risk students, while also providing a group educational component on relationships …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Ability To Respond To Active Shooter Incidents, Carole Frances Rider

Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to determine Mississippi high school teachers’ perceptions regarding their preparedness for an active shooter incident. The study included an extensive literature review that included background and policy context, theoretical foundations, pertinent research and professional perspectives and a worldwide timeline of school shootings. The study also included data collection and analysis, results, conclusions, recommendations for policymakers and educational leaders, and recommendations for further research.

The study was conducted to determine if there was a relationship between school planning procedures, participation in practice and drill activity, and administrator preparedness for an active shooter incident and …

Teaching English Learners In Middle Grades: A Mixed Method Study Of The Dispositions, Priorities, And Instructional Practices Of Urban Bilingual, Esl, And Content Teachers, Elizabeth Cardenas-Lopez

Dissertations

This study focuses on the instruction of middle grade English language learners (ELs) and their bilingual, English as a Second Language (ESL), and content teachers in a large, urban, Midwestern school district. This mixed methods study gathered quantitative and qualitative data using a survey and interviews to examine the preparation, dispositions, and experiences of middle grade EL teachers; their professional development; their instructional decisions related to language and literacy development; and the factors that influence these decisions. Study results aided the formulation of district, school, and teacher level recommendations based on the belief that without equitable, quality instruction, and highly …

California Community Colleges Child Development Laboratory Schools, Shari Yates

Dissertations

Community colleges in California are the primary source for preparing the early childhood care and education (ECE) workforce. The California child development lab school mission is to prepare ECE practitioners, provide a laboratory where college students can study and research child development/education, and offer a service to children and families. There are many benefits that are derived from laboratory schools but many community college lab schools have been reduced and/or closed over the past three years. The purposes of this Delphi study were (a) to examine the most pressing issues, problems and barriers facing California community colleges child development labs …

A Delphi Study: Teachers’ Perceptions Of Benefits, Prerequisites, Facilitators, And Barriers Of Peer Observation For Professional Learning In Secondary Public Schools, Melissa R. Bazanos

Dissertations

A Delphi Study: Teachers’ Perceptions of Benefits, Prerequisites, Facilitators, and Barriers of Peer Observation for Professional Learning in Secondary Public Schools

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore secondary-school teachers’ perceptions about the instructional and cultural benefits of engaging in peer observations for professional learning in secondary schools. This study also sought to clarify the prerequisites, facilitators, and barriers to implementing peer observations as perceived by secondary-school teachers.

Methodology: The Delphi method was utilized in order to gather perceptual data from an expert panel of secondary-school teachers that have engaged in peer observations at various schools in Riverside …

Principal Emotional Intelligence And Teacher Perceptions Of School Climate In Middle Schools, Ashley Dawn Meadows Allred

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the correlational relationship of principals’ emotional intelligence on the perceptions that teachers have of a school’s climate. The Organizational Health Inventory for Middle Schools (OHI-M) served as the assessment for teachers’ perceptions of the school climate or the overall health of the organization. Principals’ emotional intelligence competencies were assessed using the Mayer Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test version 2, hereinafter referred to as the MSCEIT V.2.0. Participants of the study included 22 principals of public middle schools in Mississippi. There was an average of 45 teachers employed at each middle school.

A Pearson …

The Effects Of Race And Gender On The Satisfaction Levels Of Entering And Advanced Level Doctoral Students, Tiffany Nicole Labon

Dissertations

Doctoral education is an aspect of higher education that can be both rewarding and challenging for anyone who attempts the journey. Thelin (2004) stated many graduate students obtain the necessary skills that their individual fields of study require in their master’s and doctoral programs of study. Levine (2005), however, has found that the levels of satisfaction between what students expect and what they receive are at odds at many colleges and universities around the country. Thus, the need to assess graduate programs and services regarding satisfaction is warranted.

The purpose of this study was to compare the relationship of overall …

An Exploratory Study Of Teacher Empowerment And Technical Education In Kentucky, Lee Ann Wall

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of empowerment and principal use of power within career and technical education in Kentucky. The researcher posits that, with the continual process of educational reform, principals need to understand what empowers teachers to perform as additional expectations and responsibilities are being mandated.

The researcher used a mixed methods design to examine power bases that career and technical education teachers perceived were used by their principals to identify teachers’ perceived empowerment, as well as influencers and barriers. Data were collected with a survey and two open-ended questions from …

A Study Of Factors Related To Teacher Attrition, Leslie Ann Beaugez

Dissertations

This study examined factors related to teacher attrition. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the level of teacher satisfaction that could motivate a teacher to remain in the profession in a national sample could be predicted from selected factors. Furthermore, this study examined teachers’ perceptions of worry/stress based on student performance on state and/or local tests.

The participants in the study were in two groups: teachers in a national sample that responded to items on the 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey and certified teachers from a southeastern school district who also responded to one of the items …

Perceptions Of Kentucky Educators Concerning The Kentucky State Assessment System As An Accurate Reflection Of Student Learning, Benny C. Lile

Dissertations

While educational testing has been in place since the one room school house, it was not until the 1990s that accountability began to accompany assessment programs. With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2001, virtually every public school district in the United States of America that desired to continue to receive Title 1 funding found themselves tied to rigorous assessment and accountability systems. This focus on accountability has impacted every school, district, and state as they have sought to implement and deal with the consequences it has wrought. As the 50 states have sought to …

A Study Of Satp Scores And Principals’ Perceptions For Traditional And Alternate Routes To Teacher Certification, Eddie Eugene Moore

Dissertations

This study explores the differences between traditional and alternate route certification by focusing on the achievement of students who have been instructed by teachers from each program. In addition, this study identifies the strengths and weaknesses of teachers from each certification route through surveys and interviews with principals in the sample. Previous studies on this subject have focused on elementary or middle schools, which limits the information available for the high school level. This study was directed toward high school teachers in core subject areas tested in Mississippi’s accountability model. The purpose of this study was to connect student test …

Establishment And Maintenance Of Academic Optimism In Michigan Elementary Schools: Academic Emphasis, Faculty Trust Of Students And Parents, Collective Efficacy, Jill Van Hof

Dissertations

In response to heightened standards and calls for accountability, schools have dramatically intensified their work to meet the growing challenges. Schools require strategies for improvement that will transcend demographic factors such as SES. Research has shown the construct of academic optimism as contributing to student achievement despite a school’s socio-economic status (Goddard, LoGerfo, & Hoy, 2004; Goddard, Sweetland, & Hoy, 2000; Hoy, 2002; Hoy & Miskel, 2005; Hoy & Sabo, 1998; Hoy & Tarter, 1997; Hoy, Tarter, & Kottkamp, 1991; Hoy, Tarter, & Woolfolk, 2006; McGuigan & Hoy, 2006; Smith & Hoy, 2001; Tschannen-Moran, Hoy, & Hoy, 2000).

There exists, …

Criterion-Referenced Assessment Literacy Of Educators, James David King

Dissertations

This study investigated the assessment literacy of educators in regard to criterion-referenced tests. For the purpose of this study, administrators included principals and assistant principals within a school. First, the study determined the degree of training in measurement, assessment, and statistics that educators have received. Second, the study investigated the assessment knowledge of educators based on their performance on the Criterion-Referenced Questionnaire. Third, the study investigated if years experience, type of certification, or highest degree held had a significant difference on their performance on the Criterion-Referenced Questionnaire. Fourth, the study investigated educators’ attitudes toward the use of measurement, assessment, and …

The Relationship Between The Teacher's Perception Of The Principal's Leadership Style And Personal Motivation, Aletta Marie Price

Dissertations

Educators world wide are shaping the future by the quality of education that they provide to the youth of today. Today's future relies on the impact teachers make on their students. Society, social security, and economic development are all dependent on future generations. Teachers are molding those future generations. It is no secret that if a teacher is motivated to do his/her best at enhancing education, that students have a better chance at being successful. Furthermore, if principals are exhibiting behaviors that improve teacher motivation, the result is not only an increase in student achievement, but a more successful school …

Perceived Attitude Towards Feedback In Athletic Training Clinical Education, Jessica Lynn Emlich

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure and compare the perceived mean attitudinal score towards clinical instructor feedback, of Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) accredited athletic training education programs (ATEP) program directors/clinical coordinators and affiliated clinical instructors. Additionally, the investigator was interested to see if relationships between attitudes towards feedback and the respondent's age, sex, employment setting and years of professional experience existed.

There were a total of one hundred and fifty eight participants in this study that comprised the two groups. Program directors and clinical coordinators (PD/CC) comprised 59 of the responses and 99 were …

Gifted Education Exposure In Introductory Special Education Texts: Quantitative Text Content Analysis, Sandra Kay Hansen Wentworth

Dissertations

This present study was designed to examine and compare 10 introductory special education textbooks used in mandatory introductory special education courses. The percentage of text devoted to gifted education chapters in comparison to specific learning disabilities, behavior disorders, mental retardation, autism spectrum disorders, and speech/language/communication disorders was explored for statistically significant differences. Paired samples t tests were conducted to analyze the data. A statistically significant difference was found between the coverage of gifted education and autism spectrum disorders among the 10 examined texts. No other significant statistical findings were found between various exceptionalities among the 10 examined texts. The prevalence …

The Effects Of Strategic Modeling On The Development Of Dispositions In Preservice Teachers, Janet Susan Boyce

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the professional dispositions of preservice teachers could be developed through explicit instruction during a teacher education program. The use of the Strategic Modeling Protocol (SMP) consisted often weeks of short segmented intervention prior to the beginning of each class session. The first step of SMP focused on discussions of dispositional related topics. The participants, 45 preservice teachers in their second semester of a teacher education program, also practiced applying the principles outside the classroom, which served as the second step of SMP, and prepared reflections on their experiences as the third …

Adult Esl Oral Reading Fluency And Silent Reading Comprehension, Kristin Lems

Dissertations

A descriptive study of second language adults studying ESL at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels in a post-secondary academic program revealed that their oral reading fluency had a significant, low-to-moderate correlation with scores on a measure of silent reading comprehension. The correlation was slightly stronger for measures of accuracy than speed, and strongest for miscue ratio. The correlation increased as proficiency level increased. Among different first language groups, the correlation was highest for Hispanic learners, and lowest for Chinese. Furthermore, all fluency measures correlated better with a listening measure than with the silent reading comprehension measure. When a system …

A Comparison Of Reported Teacher Selection Practices Of Elementary Principals In Michigan To Recommended Selection Methods, John E. Jarpe

Dissertations

Teacher selection is a complex, critical school personnel function. School leaders in Michigan’s districts will be hiring more teachers as projected enrollment increases and pending teacher retirements combine to open teaching positions. This study examined the effectiveness of teacher selection practices as they compared to selection methods described in administrative textbooks, journal articles, and research studies.

Thirty-six Michigan elementary principals reported their school building and district selection procedures. Qualitative analysis focused on their transcribed responses to interview questions about the aspects of teacher selection. The principals represented public schools that combined varying grade levels of kindergarten through sixth grade.

Thirteen …

Selected Roles/Functions Of Technical/Vocational Education Administrators In Barbados And The Need For Further Preparation And Continuing Professional Development, Cecil I. Cummins

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the roles/functions of technical/vocational education (TVE) administrators in Barbados and to ascertain their personal needs for further preparation and continuing professional development.

The population for the study consisted of 115 TVE administrators from the Ministry of Education, tertiary institutions, vocational centers, Grammar schools, and Newer secondary schools. The survey method was used to gather the data. All respondents were asked to complete a 87-item questionnaire which described various roles/functions associated with the administration of TVE programs under eight major categories. For each role descriptor, respondents were asked to indicate how important it …

A Descriptive Case Study Of Teacher Study Groups And Teachers' Perceptions Of The Impact Of Study Groups On Professional Growth, Rita Henriquez-Roark

Dissertations

Problem. Few studies have focused on defining and delineating the essential characteristics of veteran teacher study groups or the perceptions of teachers about how study groups affect their professional growth.

Purpose. The purposes of this study were to: (1) define and delineate the essential characteristics of existing study groups; (2) describe the effects of study groups on the professional growth of the teacher in the workplace and; (3) explore the implications of ongoing study groups on school change, school improvement, and staff development.

Methodology. This study used a descriptive, qualitative case study method based on interviews, observations, surveys, documents, and …

The Development And Evaluation Of A Seminar For Teachers On The Awareness And Management Of Allergic Conditions Of Their Students In The Classroom, Elwin C. Munson

Dissertations

Problem. Many children with allergic problems go without treatment because their problems go unrecognized by both their parents and teachers. The purpose of this project was to bring about change on the part of teachers enabling them better to address allergic problems in their students. Literature was reviewed with respect to allergies and with respect to the use of inservice seminars for teachers. The posttest means for all three areas of measurement of the seminar group and control group were adjusted for pretest scores by analysis of covariance which indicated a significant difference in favor of the seminar group in …