Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Connecting To Students: Self-Disclosure As A Motivational Tool For Collegiate Forensic Coaches, Ben Walker

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Forensic coaches spend a large amount of time with their students and often struggle to find effective methods of motivation; however, studies have shown that teachers (Christophel, 1990) and athletic coaches (Turman, 2008) can use immediacy as a way to increase student/competitor motivation. This paper examines how forensic coaches can use a specific interpersonal tactic (self-disclosure) to potentially increase student motivation. The review of literature covers self-disclosure and the link between immediacy and motivation in both educational and competitive settings; next, Petronio’s Communication Privacy Management theory is contextualized with forensic coaches; finally, suggestions are offered to forensic coaches who wish …

An Examination Of Factors That Influence Teacher Adoption Of Bring Your Own Device In The Classroom, Shawn Patrick Lloyd Hirano

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to examine if and how Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is implemented in secondary public schools by focusing on teacher adoption of BYOD in the classroom. Given the newness of BYOD, there is little research on how school districts have implemented this policy or why and how teachers have adopted the practice in their classroom. Using both Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this research investigated several key elements that could influence teacher adoption of BYOD: teacher characteristics, school culture, and professional development. The population for this mixed method study …

Empowering All Who Teach: A Portrait Of Two Non-Native English Speaking Teachers In A Globalized 21st Century, Rosa Dene David

Dissertations and Theses

One of most prevalent issues surrounding English education internationally is the differentiation between Native English-Speaking Teachers (NESTs) and Non-native English-Speaking Teachers (NNESTs). What is sometimes termed the "Native speaker fallacy" is the notion that in order to be a proficient teacher of the English language one must either be a native speaker or possess native like fluency (Phillipson, 1992). This position is furthered by Hollidays Native Speakerism (Holliday, 2006) which suggests that within the field of English Language Teaching (ELT) there is an assumption that NESTs are better equipped to teach English language learners due to language proficiency and Western …

Teaching Sighted Students To Read Braille Visually, Brittany C. Putnam

Theses and Dissertations

For many visually impaired children in public schools, braille instruction is not an educational priority included in the Individualized Education Program (IEP). This issue is likely the result of a lack of accessible and effective braille training for regular and special education teachers. Prior studies have assessed the efficacy of computer software to teach sighted individuals braille-to-print relations. Although the results from these studies are promising, there are several limitations that should be addressed. The purpose of this study was to extend previous research by developing and testing a computer-based program to teach visual contracted braille to sighted individuals. We …

A Qualitative Investigation Of Mindfulness-Based Practice With K-12th Grade Teachers, Jenna Trumbower

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

In the United States, there is an increased awareness and concern regarding K-12^th grade teachers’ personal and professional well-being. With current teacher turnover rates currently at about 20% compared to 9% in 2009 (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2014), researchers have turned their attention to stress-reduction interventions and programs for teachers. The following study examines the experiences that seven K-12^th grade teachers have had with mindfulness-based practices. This study further explores the impact that mindfulness-based practice has on K-12^th grade teachers’ personal well-being and professional practice. A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews was used to gather information to …

The Elementary School Climate And Teacher Self-Esteem: A Study Of Potential Relationship, Kelsey D. Stewart

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The factors of self-esteem and the school climate have been independently studied for over a century and have been found as universal factors of importance. This study investigates the potential relationship between teacher self-esteem and the school climate. Fifty-nine elementary school teachers at public schools in the Midwest participated in a survey consisting of demographic information, self-esteem assessment, and a school climate inventory. The findings showed a moderate relationship between teacher self-esteem and the school climate. Additional sub-categories of relationships and teaching learning indicated moderate relationships with teacher self-esteem. These findings lead to suggestions for improving factors in the school …

Beginning Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Novice Year Of Teaching, Rebecca Bingham Rees

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to understand the perceptions of beginning teachers concerning the training they received in their teacher preparation program helped them with the successes and challenges they faced during their novice year of teaching. Comprehending novice teachers' perceptions of their successes and challenges is important as a method to help beginning teachers avoid feelings of burnout.

A survey was sent to graduates of a teacher preparation program at a large, land-grant university, who were embarking on their novice year of teaching. Responses were received from 16 teachers. In the survey, teachers were asked to answer demographic questions regarding …

Talking To Parents About Student Mental Health: Understanding Parents' Perspective Of Barriers And Enhancers To Effective Parent-Teacher Collaboration, Erica Robyn Masters

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Statistics show that 20% of students in Canada struggle with mental health concerns. It has been suggested that student success is best supported through a collaborative circle of care of the significant adults in a child’s life, in particular parents and teachers. This paper explores parents’ experiences collaborating with teachers to support their child’s/student’s mental health challenges. Literature suggests within the context of a trusting relationship, interprofessional collaboration results in greater problem solving. This exploration of parents’ experience of collaborative partnering with teachers involved semi-structured interviews with eight parents who had at least one child struggling with mental health issues …

Teaching Restless Bodies: Teachers’ Negotiations Of Adhd In Sarnia, Ontario, Patrick Galler

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has come to be a way of being a person. In practical activities, concepts from various scientific paradigms come to be embodied. The categorical, yet historically transient, 'reality' of ADHD emerges from people's use of the classification to organize experiences of the behaviours, emotions and drugs associated with the category. This thesis explores how a group of teachers and principals from Sarnia, Ontario make sense of their role in the medicalization of childhood behaviours in relation to the classification ADHD. Previous studies have examined the perspectives of patients, parents, and physicians regarding ADHD, but despite depictions of …

“I’M Trying To Get My A”: Black Male Achievers Talk About Race, School And Achievement, Quaylan Allen

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This study seeks to challenge deficit views on Black male education by highlighting the perspectives of academically successful Black males in a secondary school setting. Employing interpretive qualitative methods, I present the narratives of academically successful Black males, emphasizing their reflections on race, school and academic achievement. In particular, this study highlights the educational dispositions and expectations of Black males, including the influences of their support systems on their academic trajectories. One support system comprised of parents, including the academic expectations held of their sons as well as their racial socializing practices. Another support system included their teachers, particularly those …

The Relationship Between Teacher Training, Perceptions Of School Violence, And Burnout., Kristi Lynn Geissler

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The present study seeks to contribute to the limited body of literature addressing teachers and school violence (SV). The development of SV is analyzed through an ecological perspective (i.e., Bronfenbrenner, 1979), that allows consideration of how SV is influenced by individual, classroom, school, and community factors. Literature suggests that few teachers report feeling prepared to respond to instances of violence prior to entering the field (Kandakai & King, 2002) and that it is not clear if teachers are receiving adequate training to equip them with strategies and coping skills for dealing with SV (Espelage et al., 2013; Sela-Shayovitz, 2009). The …

Secondary Teachers’ Knowledge And Attitudes Toward Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports, Deanna M. Hiles

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Classroom management of student behavioral problems is a primary reason that teachers are leave the education field. As hard as teachers and students may try, some student behavior cannot be managed by discipline alone. One technique that has had a constructive impact on student behavior is Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). The design of PBIS is to help teachers manage students with problem behaviors in the classroom. However, teachers’ attitudes toward PBIS and their knowledge of PBIS influence the effectiveness of its success or failure in the classroom.

Focusing On Six First Year Firsts: A Professional Development Framework Supporting Teachers Of First Year Subjects, Kathryn Harden-Thew, Bonnie Amelia Dean

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers

The first year of university is a critical period for student engagement. Crucial to smooth transition is how teaching staff support new students in their first year experience (FYE). However, across higher education institutions, staff receive varying levels of professional development, and often, little explanation of how to translate theory into practice. In 2014, at Wollongong University, a new professional development framework was developed to assist teaching staff across the university to translate transition principles into effective curriculum practices. The framework identifies six moments in any first year curriculum where students experience their first contact with different academic elements and …

The Learning Experience: Training Teachers Using Online Synchronous Environments, Stuart Woodcock, Ashley Sisco, Michelle J. Eady

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study examined the effectiveness of an online synchronous platform used for training preservice teachers. A blended learning approach was implemented. Fifty-three students participated in the course. Qualitative interview data and quantitative survey data were collected about students' experiences using the platform, and analyzed via thematic content analysis and statistical analysis, respectively. The findings show that e-learning synchronous technology is an effective learning tool in enhancing preservice teachers' e-learning competency in subject matter and information communication technology skills. However, preservice teachers' competency to learn and implement e-learning for students is dependent on four hierarchal conditions (a) ease of use, (b) …

'But I'M Not Artistic': How Teachers Shape Kids' Creative Development, Gai M. Lindsay

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Many adults believe they are not artistic and feel nervous about visual art. They vividly recall the moment when a teacher or family member discouraged their efforts to creatively express their ideas through drawing or art-making. Such early childhood experiences can affect developing confidence and learning potential throughout a child's education and into adulthood. If preschool educators lack the visual art knowledge and confidence to provide valuable art experiences, children's potential to creatively express their ideas using visual symbols may be restricted. Creative thinking and the ability to make meaning in many ways is the key to success in the …

What Should Be Taught By Teachers, And What By Parents?, Pauline Lysaght

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Who taught you to tell the time, to tie your shoelaces or to write your name? I have memories of my parents and teachers taking a hand in helping me to learn these skills as a small child. But what about more challenging tasks - who taught you to analyse a poem or to solve equations? Mr Williamson, my favourite teacher, taught the principles of algebra to our class and patiently went over the information until it started to make some sense to me. I also remember my parents encouraging me to practise what I was learning in class and …

Designing A Digital Teaching Resource To Explain Phases Of The Moon: A Case Study Of Preservice Elementary Teachers Making A Slowmation, Wendy S. Nielsen, Garry F. Hoban

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This research studied a group of three preservice elementary teachers creating a narrated stop-motion animation (Slowmation) from start to finish in 3 hours to explain the challenging concept of "phases of the moon" to elementary school children. The research questions investigated the preservice teachers' learning before and after the construction as well as how the preservice teachers designed the slowmation as a teaching resource. Data collection involved individual interviews immediately before and after the construction in conjunction with analysis of video and audio data collected during the construction process. Before the animation construction, the participants had little understanding of the …

Teachers: Technology, Change And Resistance, Sarah Katherine Howard, Adrian Mozejko

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This chapter explores the way in which a culture of educational technology-related policy and curriculum change has arguably resulted in minimal improvement in teaching and learning. Moreover, it is argued that such a culture of change has instead simply increased teacher disengagement and thereby resulted in teachers being erroneously labelled by polichy actors, administrators and technology enthusiasts as 'resistant' to change, 'luddites' and 'risk averse'. Accordingly, this chapter challenges these simplistic labels, and offers a more critical perspective of how and why teachers (dis)engage with technology.

An Examination Of Pre-Service Teachers' Attributions For Students With Specific Learning Difficulties, Stuart Woodcock, Wilma Vialle

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

One of the most important factors in the successful inclusion of students with specific learning difficulties in mainstream classrooms is the teacher. Despite strong support for inclusion, mainstream teachers still demonstrate mixed responses to the inclusion of certain students in the classrooms. Further, their attitudes towards inclusion seem to be formed during their initial training. The purpose of this research was to examine the attitudes of pre-service teachers towards students with specific learning difficulties by analyzing their attributional responses to hypothetical students. Participants included 205 pre-service teachers, and the results demonstrated that the pre-service teachers' attributional responses differed according to …

Student Teachers' Cognition About L2 Pronunciation Instruction: A Case Study, Michael Burri

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In view of the minimal attention pronunciation teacher preparation has received in second language (L2) teacher education, this study examined the cognition (i.e. beliefs, thoughts, attitudes and knowledge) development of 15 student teachers during a postgraduate subject on pronunciation pedagogy offered at an Australian tertiary institution. Findings revealed that, as a result of taking the subject, student teachers' cognition shifted from teaching individual sounds (i.e. segmentals) to favouring a more balanced approach to pronunciation instruction. That is, teaching the melody of the English language (i.e. suprasegmentals) was seen as important as teaching segmentals. Non-native speakers' self-perceived pronunciation improvement, an increase …

"Teachers Are Not Empty Vessels": A Reception Study Of Freeman And Johnson's (1998) Reconceptualization Of The Knowledge Base Of Second Language Teacher Education, Joseph J. Lee, John Murphy, Amanda Ann Baker

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study traces the reception history of Freeman and Johnson's (1998) widely cited article dedicated to theory and practices of second language teacher education (SLTE). It illuminates the degree to which that article has impacted SLTE theory, research, and potentially instructional practices. The reception study analysis is based on a data set of 413 journal articles, books, book chapters, master's theses, and doctoral dissertations that cited Freeman and Johnson (F&J) between 1999 and 2014. Using an innovative analytical approach combining both Hyland's (1999, 2004) citation categories and Coffin's (2009) stance framework, we investigate the citation analytics of F&J within this …

Enhancing The Quality Of Pre-Service Teachers Learning Through The Conceptualizing Of Mentoring Strategies During The Practicum, Lynn D. Sheridan, Hoa Nguyen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Professional experience has been described as a cornerstone of teacher preparation that has a "profound impact on student teachers" (Hammerness, Darling-Hammond, & Shulman, 2002, p. 409). There is a wide variation of teacher education programs across the world however, in most countries teacher preparation programs consists of initial university-based course work followed by school-based student teaching practice. Clearly, this program structure has implications for the role of professional experience in creating genuine opportunities for pre-service teachers to develop teaching practice and knowledge about the profession. During the professional experience, mentoring pre-service teachers has been considered critical in ensuring a quality …

Identity Formation Of Lbote Pre-Service Teachers During The Practicum, Hoa Nguyen, Lynn D. Sheridan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the AARE 2015 Conference, 30 November-3 December 2015, Fremantle, Australia

Technology Tools To Support Learning Design: Implications Derived From An Investigation Of University Teachers' Design Practices, Sue Bennett, Shirley Agostinho, Lori Lockyer

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The need to improve the quality of higher education has fostered an interest in technology tools to support effective design for teaching and learning. Over the past decade this interest has led to the development of tools to support the creation of online learning experiences, specifications to underpin design systems, and repositories to share examples. Despite this significant activity, there remain unanswered questions about what shapes university teachers' design decisions and how tools can best support their design processes. This paper presents findings from a study of university teachers'; design practices that identified teachers' perceptions of student characteristics, their own …

An Investigation Of Teachers' Awareness And Willingness To Engage With A Self-Directed Professional Development Package On Gifted And Talented Education, Kylie Fraser-Seeto, Steven J. Howard, Stuart Woodcock

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Despite recognising the importance of educators in meeting the needs of gifted and talented students, research indicates that teachers often lack the essential knowledge, skills and confidence to identify and meet the needs of gifted and talented students. Evidence suggests this lack of preparation may be related to teachers' professional development. This quantitative study of 96 primary school teachers aimed to provide an initial insight into the knowledge and uptake of the 2005 DEST/GERRIC Gifted and Talented Training Package. It further aimed to give some insight into teachers' opinions and behaviours as it pertains to this mode of professional development. …

Science Teachers' Response To The Digital Education Revolution, Wendy S. Nielsen, K. Alex Miller, Garry F. Hoban

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

We report a case study of two highly qualified science teachers as they implemented laptop computers in their Years 9 and 10 science classes at the beginning of the 'Digital Education Revolution,' Australia's national one-to-one laptop program initiated in 2009. When a large-scale investment is made in a significant educational change, it is important to consider teachers perspectives and responses to such change and we draw from sociocultural perspectives for our analysis. Through interviews and classroom observations, our interpretive analysis identified four key tensions and contradictions. These include the following: (1) barriers to innovative science teaching; (2) maintaining classroom and …

Shy Children In The Classroom: From Research To Educational Practice, Irina Kalutskaya, Kristen A. Archbell, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Robert J. Coplan

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Shyness is a temperamental trait characterized by wariness, fear, and self-consciousness in social situations. In elementary school, child shyness is associated with a wide range of socioemotional difficulties, including poor peer relationships (e.g., exclusion, victimization), internalizing problems (e.g., low self-esteem, anxiety, depression), and academic adjustment problems (e.g., lack of engagement, poor academic performance). In the current article we particularly review recent research examining the implication of shyness in educational contexts. Topics covered include the development of shyness, why shy students might perceive the classroom as a potential threat, and the unique challenges faced by shy children at school. Further, we …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Analysis Of The Relationship Among Teachers' Knowledge, Exposure, And Attitudes, Nicole Jones

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study explored teachers’ knowledge of the causes, characteristics, assessment, and treatments of autism spectrum disorder. This study also examined teachers’ experiences and perceptions of the causality of the disorder. Research questions included whether special-education teachers possessed more accurate knowledge of the disorder and if experience (professional and/or personal) with autism led to more internal causes of autism spectrum disorder. One hundred seventy-two educators who self-identified as a general educator, special educator, paraprofessional, or academic specialist completed a 24-question survey pertaining to the topic. Results showed that, although special educators scored significantly higher on their knowledge questions as compared to …

Beginning Teachers' Experiences And Use Of Time, Laura Marie Ahles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

New teachers in a southeast Texas school district are having difficulty using their time effectively for instruction while balancing a multitude of tasks. New work responsibilities for teachers are contributing to teacher burnout and early attrition. The purpose of this study was to examine new teachers and administrators perceptions of novice teacher practices and their daily use of time. Apple s theory of intensification was used as the conceptual framework for this study. A case study design was employed to answer research questions regarding how procedures and policies affect teachers time, teacher perceptions about prior experiences with managing multiple responsibilities, …

Investigation Of School Professionals' Self-Efficacy For Working With Students With Asd : Impact Of Prior Experience, Knowledge, And Training, Laura Corona

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

School professionals who work with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) play a significant role in the academic experiences of these students (Ruble & McGrew, 2013). Unfortunately, some evidence suggests that teachers of students with ASD experience a high risk of burnout (Coman et al., 2013), due in part to the multiple challenges associated with teaching students with ASD (Iovannone, Dunlap, Huber, & Kincaid, 2003). Research has begun to examine factors that ameliorate or prevent teacher burnout, including teacher self-efficacy, or teachers’ beliefs regarding their abilities to bring about positive outcomes for their students (Ruble, Usher, & McGrew, 2011). The …