Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

In Memoriam - Nora Sabelli: Master Orchestrator Of Grant Programs And Mentor For Advancing The Interdisciplinary Learning Sciences Field, Eric Hamilton, Jeremy Roschelle, Roy Pea, Barbara Means, Louis Gomez, Kim Gomez, Nancy Butler Songer

Education Division Scholarship

On Friday, September 6, 2024, the learning sciences field lost a giant in Dr. Nora Sabelli, 87 years old, a personal mentor to many researchers and an inspiration to so many learning scientists and STEM leaders. Nora’s first professional career was as a computational chemist, and later she became a passionate leader in research for improving STEM education. Nora’s time as a senior program officer at the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Education and Human Resources (EHR) directorate was legendary; she was a force of nature who reshaped funding priorities for stronger science and a stronger connection of science to education …

Examining The Creative Process Of Visual Artists: A Phenomenological Study, Filiberto Vargas

Dissertations

Creativity fuels problem solving and innovation, driving both economic growth and individual success. Yet, many schools and organizations fail to nurture it. Today, there is a decline in creativity scores among U.S. students. This is concerning since many of these students will be the future leaders of organizations and communities. For this reason, this dissertation explores the creative process of visual artists to better understand how creativity can be cultivated. Visual artists' perspectives and sense-and-meaning-making processes offer a unique view of innovation and creativity. However, there is limited research on the creative processes of contemporary visual artists from culturally diverse …

Showcasing Your Scholarship With Lu Faculty Share, Mark Hamilton, Jeremy Mcginniss

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Learn how to access and manage your faculty profile in our new research information management system, “LU Faculty SHARE (Scholarship and Research Exchange)”. We will walk through how to claim your account and the process of adding articles, conference presentations, posters, awards, grants, and other research projects to showcase your scholarship.

Learning Outcomes:

• Access their LU Faculty SHARE account
• Know how to add various research outputs to their profile (articles, presentations, posters, awards, etc.)

Right Choice For Me: An Executive Function (Ef) Focused Intervention Program For Teachers, Brisa E. Kress

Education | Graduate Culminating Projects

In every classroom, students face choices. These choices can look like how to approach a non-fiction text, how to plan a narrative, how to pick the right spot in the room for reading, or how to reflect on their experience during a group project.

Right Choice For Me is an Executive Function (EF) focused toolkit. It follows a flexible 10-week timeline and offers educators of any grade customizable tools and strategies to teach essential EF skills in ways that honor each student's voice, choice, and unique learning style. Right Choice For Me focuses on three core EF strategies:

• Planning/Goal-Setting

• Self-Monitoring …

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Exploring Early Childhood Educators’ Perceptions Of Lockdown Drills: Preparedness, Training Needs, And The Balance With Social-Emotional Development, Juniper Alaska Brewer

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to evaluate early childhood educators’ perceptions of lockdown drills. It assessed feelings of preparedness, perceived training needs, and balancing safety protocols with children's social-emotional development. A multi-methods online survey was distributed to 13 early childhood educators and students in the Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE) field, collecting both quantitative and qualitative responses via Qualtrics.

Survey data showed educators strongly agreed drills prepare them for emergencies (average 4.46/5) and generally agreed drills prepare children (4.08/5), though responses were more neutral about reducing educator anxiety (3.77/5). Only one participant reported occasional training; most (7 of 13) …

Literacy Teachers’ Self-Efficacy And Instructional Choice Within A Structured Literacy Approach, Brianna Horst

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

In the United States over the past two centuries, differing views on reading instruction have fueled public and scientific debate. In the mid-2020s, Structured Literacy has become a central focus in education policy, pre-service teacher preparation, professional development, and curricular design. While Structured Literacy offers a strong foundation for early literacy, it does not fully capture a holistic view of literacy.

This mixed-method explanatory sequential design examined teachers’ stance on Structured Literacy, their instructional practices, and self-efficacy in literacy instruction. Participants included 30 survey respondents and 5 interviewees. Albert Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory (1978, 1997) informed the analysis. Phase I involved …

Impact Flc Report Fall 2025: A Report By The Impact Evaluation Team, Evaluation And Learning Research Center, Impact Evaluation Team

IMPACT Reports

This is the 2025 Fall report of Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation (IMPACT) Week. IMPACT was created in 2010, and is a large collaborative initiative on the Purdue West Lafayette campus involving multiple key partners across campus including the Office of the Provost, Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE), Purdue Online (PO), Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies (Libraries), the Evaluation and Learning Research Center (ELRC), and Institutional Data Analytics and Assessment (IDA+A). IMPACT works with instructors to redesign large enrollment, foundational courses with the aim of engaging students more fully in their learning and creating a more student-centered …

Implementing Visual Supports Through Vocational Training Modules For Students Preparing To Exit School-Based Services, Kaitlynn Karthan

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Unemployment and underemployment remain persistent barriers for autistic and developmentally disabled individuals, with up to 75% of autistic adults in the United States experiencing difficulty obtaining or maintaining meaningful work. To address this disparity within school-based transition services, this capstone project evaluated the effectiveness of video modeling as an instructional method for vocational skill acquisition among seven young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities (DD). Grounded in the Occupational Justice framework, this study utilized a quantitative pretest–posttest–follow-up quasi-experimental design to measure accuracy and task completion time on two vocational tasks: rolling silverware and filling condiment cups. …

The Caseload Chronicles: Investigating The Case Manager Role Through The Perspectives Of Current Special Education Teachers, Khalil Milad Abouhamad

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition and resulting shortages have become severely problematic across the United States. This is especially true within special education. This study employs role theory (Kahn et al., 1964) to isolate the case manager role carried by special education teachers, investigate it through the stories of current practitioners, and establish it within academia. Burnout theory (Maslach, 1993) provides a lens through which to evaluate the strain of working conditions surrounding the case manager role. Elements of narrative inquiry (Clandinin, 2006; Creswell & Guetterman, 2019) in the form of 1-1 interviews with current IEP case managers from across California provided the …

Applied Research Division Research At A Glance: 2025, Shellie R. Hubbard Ma

Institute of Child Nutrition, Applied Research Division

The Institute of Child Nutrition Applied Research Division (ICN ARD) conducts applied research to address operational issues affecting child nutrition programs and support continuous program improvement. During the 2024–2025 reporting year, the division completed research focused on workforce development, training needs, culinary competencies, school food trends, and operational challenges in child nutrition settings.

Major projects included studies examining training needs and delivery preferences of child nutrition professionals, challenges affecting Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) operations, and the development of a Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills (CKS) resource for chefs working in school nutrition programs. Findings informed the creation of …

Rapid Response Survey #3: Determining The Training Needs Of Child Nutrition Professionals, Keith Rushing Phd, Rd, Ruaa Al-Juboori Phd, Mackinsey Shahan Phd

Institute of Child Nutrition, Applied Research Division

Child nutrition professionals must continually develop knowledge and skills to meet evolving program regulations, nutrition standards, and operational demands. This study examined the training needs and preferred training delivery methods of school nutrition and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) professionals across the United States.

Using a two-phase research design, researchers conducted a literature review, expert panel review, survey development, and national survey administration. A total of 777 child nutrition professionals, including school nutrition directors, managers, staff, and CACFP personnel, participated in the study. Respondents identified high-priority training topics and preferred methods for receiving training, including in-person, live virtual, …

The Impact Of Using Practicum Portfolio On Early Childhood Student Teachers' Reflective Practice, Buad Khales, Afif Zaidan, Fathi Ihmeideh

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: This study aimed to investigate how the use of practicum portfolios impacts early childhood student teachers' reflective practice in Palestine. The study utilized qualitative and quantitative methods to gather and analyze student teachers' perspectives on using practicum portfolios for their professional development. The main focus was to understand the student teachers' stance on reflective teaching and their engagement in different stages of the reflective practice cycle. The study involved 16 student teachers at Al-Quds University in Palestine. Data were collected through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Results indicated that the portfolio helped student teachers assess their work and improved …

Basic Skills Of 21st Century Teachers, Ömer Cem Karacaoğlu

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study aims to determine the basic skills that 21st century teachers should have. The study is based on the opinions of 79 teachers working in different disciplines on four different campuses in Izmir. The qualitative study used storage technique and content analysis. The opinions of the participants were evaluated to clarify the skill expressions, create themes and determine data categories. The study found that teachers prioritized several core competencies, including creativity, empathy and communication, critical thinking, problem solving and crisis management, and collaboration, curiosity and digital literacy. Other skills were determined as reading comprehension, learning to learn, patience, emotional …

Insights In, On And For Teacher Education: An International Teacher Educator Study, Simone White, Jean Murray, Lin Goodwin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Whilst the importance of research in teacher education is widely emphasised, debates continue about issues of value, legitimacy and contributions to the knowledge base. This paper aims to contribute to these debates by looking at research in, on and for teacher education, by teacher educators. Drawing from 20 interviews of international experienced teacher educators, questions were posed into the types of research they have pursued, how their research contributed to the field, and how they conceptualised research in/on and for teacher education. Drawing from Bourdieu, findings give insights into what constitutes valued research capital within the divergent field or territory …

Tackling Australia’S Male Teacher Shortage: Insights From Initial Teacher Education (Ite) Completion Data, Loan Dao, Jeanne M. Allen, Darren Pullen, Scott Cowie

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The under-representation of males in the Australian teaching profession has been an issue of concern for some time. With predictions that the situation will worsen due to an aging male teacher population and the enduring perception that teaching is females’ work, this paper explores trends in male initial teacher education (ITE) degree completion in a sample of Australian ITE programs from 2001 to 2021 to gain insights into which types of teaching degrees and delivery modes of study are most likely to attract potential pre-service male teachers. Open access and non-identifiable male ITE completion data were obtained from the Australian …

“My School Makes Even The Smallest Students …. Feel Included And Happy To Be There” Student Perspectives On Inclusion., Charles Ag Kemp, Umesh Sharma, Louise Mclean

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The objective of this study was to examine student perspectives on what inclusion means to them and what students believe to be critical school based inclusive practices. The study utilised a mixed method approach to collect data from a sample of 40 Year 9 and Year 10 students from a small school in rural Victoria.  Qualitative data were analysed using a three-stage process of thematic analysis.  Students emphasised that inclusion could be enhanced when relationships are prioritised, school environments are more participatory, when teachers know what students need to be successful, and, when teachers actively monitor and encourage the engagement …

Theatre Education At The University Of Montana: Providing Innovative Solutions To A Complex Problem, Natalie Renk

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This paper is part of a larger project that aims to provide solutions to assimilate the University of Montana’s theatre education program with those across the United States by providing budget conscious innovations. The focus of this paper will be the creation of two methods courses: THTR 438: Content for Secondary Theatre Education and THTR 439: Skills for Theatre Education, this paper discussing the former. The latter was designed by my research partner, Ren Shepherd. This course would offer comprehensive coverage of theatre practitioners, both historical and modern theatrical texts, hands on design and budgeting experience, as well as teaching …

A Critical Link Between Principal's Transformational Leadership And Teachers' Digital Engagement: The Moderating Role Of Technology Infrastructure In Malaysia, Jabeen Mozammel, Aida Hanim A. Hamid

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

This study investigates the relationship between principals’ transformational leadership and teachers’ digital engagement in secondary schools across Malaysia, emphasizing the influence of leadership behaviours on adopting digital technologies. Despite significant advancements in digital infrastructure across the region, disparities in effective integration remain. 114 secondary school teachers and principals in Malaysia were surveyed using a quantitative, non-experimental, correlational research design. Descriptive and regression analyses were conducted using SPSS, with results showing that transformational leadership behaviours, particularly inspirational motivation (β = .943, p < .001) and individualized consideration (β = .224, p = .027), significantly predicted higher levels of teachers’ digital engagement. However, idealized influence (β = -.053, p = .639) and intellectual stimulation (β = -.102, p = .356) did not have a significant effect. The model explained 97% of the variance in teachers’ digital engagement (R² = .970), highlighting the critical role of leadership in fostering digital adoption. The study concludes that empowering school leaders through leadership development programs can significantly enhance teachers’ engagement with digital technologies. Future research should explore longitudinal designs and include a broader sample across different educational contexts to further validate these findings.

Addressing Economic Instability And Workforce Turnover In Early Childhood Education: The Role Of Stipends, Wage Supplements, And Professional Development, Lucinda J. Leffler

Endeavors: Mississippi State Undergraduate Research Journal

Child care workers are vital to early childhood education, yet they face persistent economic instability, low wages, and high turnover rates. To address these challenges, states and policymakers have implemented stipends, wage supplements, and professional development programs aimed at improving financial security, job satisfaction, and workforce retention. This literature review examines the effectiveness of these initiatives across the United States, drawing on theoretical frameworks such as Vroom’s Expectancy Theory and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory to contextualize their impact. Research indicates that financial incentives significantly reduce turnover, while professional development fosters job satisfaction and career advancement. However, sustainability concerns remain, particularly with …

The Use Of Peer-To-Peer Observation And Feedback Cycles To Address Factors Impacting Perceived Professional Self-Efficacy Of School Librarians In A Kentucky School District: A Mixed Methods Action Research Study, Kelli D. Reno

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Research has shown that the school librarian occupies a unique and singular role in school settings. As such, their belief in their ability to master professional competencies is often self-referential and subject to negative influence from external organizational forces. This Mixed-Methods Action Research study explored the effect targeted institutional support for professional practice, via Peer-to-Peer Observation and Feedback cycles, has on perceptions of professional self-efficacy among the school librarians in one district.

A literature review focused on self-efficacy theory and school library research relating to role perception, organizational positioning, professional competencies, and job satisfaction anchored the diagnosis phase of this …

Experiencing The Shift: How Experiential Blended Learning Professional Development Enhances Teacher Self-Efficacy, Shannon N. Tabaldo, Ashley L. Ireland

Journal of Catholic Education

This qualitative study examines how participation in a multi-year, experiential professional development program—the Academy of Blended Learning (ABL)—shaped teachers’ perceived self-efficacy in implementing blended learning. Grounded in Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, Bruner’s constructivism, and Knowles’ adult learning principles, the study drew on semi-structured interviews and instructional artifacts from eight teachers in Catholic schools serving historically marginalized communities in California. Findings suggest that ABL participation was associated with increased instructional confidence, a stronger sense of professional purpose, and greater enthusiasm for student-centered, technology-enhanced learning. Teachers attributed these shifts to ABL’s design, which emphasized active participation, collaborative inquiry, differentiated instruction, and development of …

A Reset For Virginia: Systemizing Leadership And Resource Support For Alternatively Prepared Special Education Teachers, Nicholas E. Olson Dr., Rebecca W. Harmon Dr., Elizabeth H. Morris Dr., Michael-Jon Rodney Dr., Matthew Seidita Dr.

Doctor of Education Capstones

Virginia continues to face the impacts of the national teacher shortage, particularly in special education. The scarcity of licensed special education teachers has led to an increasing number of educators entering the profession through alternative routes with limited classroom experience. These alternatively prepared special education teachers (ARSETs) require sustained, targeted support to implement high-leverage practices (HLPs) that improve student outcomes. Although numerous professional learning opportunities exist, the current system of support is fragmented, and resources are inconsistently applied. Compounding this challenge, many schools lack enough experienced educators to provide in-field mentors for every new hire.

To assist the Virginia Department …

Moving Goalposts: Unknowables, And Anxiety In Tenure And Promotion, Mark Diacopoulos, Ruth Monnier

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

In this study, two tenure-track colleagues (Mark and Ruth) examined their process of seeking tenure and promotion. They sought to answer the following question: To what extent do the unknowables in the tenure and promotion process lead to unnecessary anxiety?

Exploring Collaboration In Interdisciplinary Ei/Ecse Programs: A Qualitative Study On Service Provider Preparation, Meagan Dayton

Theses and Dissertations

Interdisciplinary preparation is critical for early childhood special education professionals, yet few programs are designed to support such collaboration across disciplines. This study aimed to explore how interdisciplinary EI/ECSE preparation programs support collaboration. The study was guided by the following research questions: (1) How are program components designed to support the development of collaboration skills? (2) What is the student experience of collaboration in the program? (3) What connections exist between program components, student experiences, and the development of collaboration skills? Using a qualitative multiple-case study approach grounded in ecological systems theory, data were collected from program documents and interviews …

Mental Health Supports In The Public Schools, Elizabeth Walters

Masters Theses

Increasingly, young students experience mental health challenges, some as early as first grade. With mental health challenges reaching students at younger ages, teachers and school staff need to be ready to assist their students in need. Roughly a third of young people experience mental health challenges, and 70-80% are unable to receive mental health services. As a large portion struggle in school with mental health concerns, teachers and school staff are likely to be the first to see any potential signs of struggle. When teachers notice signs of a student struggling with mental health, the staff often do not know …

Addressing Teacher Turnover In Catholic Schools: Lessons Learned From The University Consortium For Catholic Education Model, Ronald D. Fussell, Maureen Cole

Journal of Catholic Education

The United States is experiencing a teacher shortage that threatens the vitality of Catholic Schools. Yet, specialized Catholic school teacher formation programs under the umbrella of the University Consortium for Catholic Education model consistently produce Catholic school teachers who are well-formed for their ministry and who tend to remain employed in Catholic schools. This qualitative, grounded theory study sought to answer these two research questions: 1) Why do Catholic school teachers who are graduates of UCCE teacher preparation programs commit to remaining employed in Catholic schools; and 2) How can the experiences of UCCE program graduates be applied to traditional …

Catholic School Teaching As Participation In The Common Good, John L. Beltramo

Journal of Catholic Education

Increasing rates of teacher attrition have exacerbated the shortage of teachers in regions of the United States. In response, some scholars have proposed initiatives that promote the professionalization of teaching, hoping to attract and retain new teachers through greater classroom autonomy and stronger professional development. Others have advocated for a vision of teaching as a vocation, through which teachers can find deeper meaning and thereby better tolerate challenging working conditions. While both conceptualizations of teaching hold compelling implications for the field, their lack of grounding in a broader conception of community ultimately limit the extent to which they can respond …

Changes In Mentor Teacher Participation In Postgraduate Secondary Initial Teacher Education: Climatic Conditions Preceding Workforce Reform., Alison L. Hilton, Chad Morrison, Felicity I. Mclure, Kathryn G. Dehle, Sandi Fielder

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Professional Experience placements provide invaluable opportunities for pre-service teachers to connect their expanding knowledge to teaching practice. When done well, these experiences are underpinned by purposeful and continuous guidance from experienced mentor teachers. Significantly, the participation and engagement of Australian mentor teachers in this process is voluntary in nature, meaning the system relies on teachers ‘opting-in’ to mentoring. This research examines mentor teacher participation within Secondary-level initial teacher education courses and highlights issues relating to overall mentor teacher (and host school) engagement. Analysis of placement data over a five-year period to 2021 illustrates a significant change in participation with a …

Waldorf Wonder: An Exploration Of Waldorf Teaching Strategies, Laura A. Keys Moreno

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation explores Waldorf teacher praxis as related to cultivating wonder. In this exploration, a variety of wonder researchers will form a picture of what is needed in public schools of today. This will be considered a mainstream perspective. This dissertation hopes to build a bridge to those mainstream researchers such as Egan, Schinkel, and Wolbert with the indications of Steiner and Waldorf education practices. Emotions researcher Keltner provides a framework of wonder experiences from his research on the emotion called awe. An overall framework grounded in Steiner’s work is utilized to form interview questions. In this mixed methods exploration, …

Fresh Eyes: Viewing Education Through A Critical Lens, Glennda Shealey-Griffiths

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation confronts neoliberal ideology in public education, where standardized testing and market-driven accountability systematically undermine teacher autonomy and creative learning. Moving beyond critique to action, this study develops a practical pedagogical framework empowering educators to resist these dehumanizing forces and cultivate democratic learning spaces through arts-integrated professional learning as critical aesthetic pedagogy. Drawing on Henry Giroux, Maxine Greene, Paolo Freire, and Jacques Rancière, this qualitative case study examines a professional learning initiative with public school teachers through interviews, classroom observations, and analysis of participants' photographic projects. These visual works function not merely as documentation but as catalysts for Giroux's …