Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Policy beliefs'

The goal of this dissertation is to address three areas in the policy process literature that require clarification. First, it examines how a policy actor’s deep and policy core beliefs translate into secondary beliefs. To do so, the research models the effect of an individual’s view of government in daily life and their policy belief towards fracking on their secondary belief of which level of government should regulate an issue. Second, the research examines how a policy actor’s policy core beliefs affect a behavior called venue shopping. The research asks how policy actors’ belief towards the policy status quo affects their shopping activity level, and how their beliefs toward decision makers influence venue selection. Third, the research examines local governmental representatives as policy actors in a state-level policy subsystem. Policy process research identifies local government representatives within advocacy coalitions, but little is known about how local governmental actors compare to other advocates in the coalitions. The research uses the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) as an analytical and theoretical foundation and applies other policy process and organizational theories to inform its hypotheses. I use multiple quantitative data modeling techniques to explore each question. Data for the research is from original surveys of policy actors in state-level hydraulic fracturing subsystems in Colorado, Texas, and New York. Findings indicate policy actors’ deep core and policy core beliefs significantly influence their secondary beliefs. However, deep core beliefs have a greater effect on secondary beliefs related to more abstract issues, such as air quality, and less on more concrete issues, such as the distance a well should be from other structures. The venue shopping models indicate policy actors who oppose the policy status quo shop more venues than those who align with the status quo. Additionally, the strongest indicator of which venue a policy actor shops is not their beliefs toward the decision makers, but their other shopping choices. Finally, analyses show local governments are a unique group within and across coalitions because of their network relationships and they align with one another on a set of policy core beliefs, but are also divided among pro and anti-fracking coalitions on other policy core beliefs. Overall, this dissertation shows the ACF provides a theoretical and analytical frame to examine policy actor beliefs and behavior, but additional theories and sub-groupings of policy actors are needed to explain nuances in policy actor dynamics.

Multiple studies have documented the growing controversies in school nutrition public policy. Less is known about the political ideologies, beliefs and diverse perspectives coming from conflicting values and their influence on policy acceptance. Key issues examined are: Does the average US citizen filter their impressions of policies through their core beliefs, values and politics? And, in general, what policies, interventions, and regulations do conservatives and liberals favor?

Utilizing a sequential mixed methods design, Phase I included a survey given to 201 people with both a multi-item closed ended section and an open-ended section. Statistical analysis was performed on the quantitative survey data, with pattern matching and documentation of outliers providing analysis of qualitative data. Findings in Phase I were used to develop questions for Phase II where 8 focus groups--California, North Dakota, Iowa, Connecticut and Florida--shared perspectives on nutrition public policies.

Regression analysis showed political ideology statistically significantly predicts perceptions toward ease of implementation, (p < .001) and efficacy, (p < .001). Beliefs and values about personal responsibility versus government responsibility is at the heart of the debate. This research shows core beliefs, values and political ideology affects preference for more or less government regulations and acceptance of local versus public policies. This is some of the first research to suggest the theory of Politics of Values for how people view nutrition public policies through a lens of core beliefs, values and political ideology. Evidence presented suggests this is one way people make sense of nutrition public policies, affecting perceptions and acceptance of nutrition and other policies.

Implications from this study include, regardless of political ideology, the general public sees local as better. Public policy makers are not perceived as agreeing with the consensus toward local proposals for improving school lunch nutrition. Findings suggest a general consensus for strong evidence-based research on which to build nutrition policy.

The purpose of this qualitative explanatory multi-case study was to examine childcare workers’ perceptions about the use of developmentally appropriate practices within private toddler and preschool classrooms. The problem was that some child care workers have a master’s or bachelor’s degree in another field not related to early childhood education, which may result in a lack of knowledge regarding child growth and development and the use of developmentally inappropriate practices in toddler and preschool classrooms. The theoretical framework for this qualitative multi-case study was based on the contributions from the field of developmental psychology and neuroscience. Data collection included semi-structured one-on-one interviews, a focus group, and documentation which included photographs of participants’ classrooms, sample lesson plans, and children’s work samples from 16 child care workers in Northern New Jersey. Transcribed interviews were imported to NVivo 12 Pro. NVivo 12 Pro was used to manage and organize transcribed data and assign codes, which led to emerging themes. Three themes emerged: (a) preparing children so they would not be behind in kindergarten or for the next teacher; (b) curriculum and the age level approach; and (c) qualifications, knowledge, and training. Recommendations may lead to better monitoring of child care center programs to ensure that program activities are appropriate according to age and developmental level of the children. Recommendations may also lead to training models for child care center directors and child care workers.

This embedded mixed method study addresses the problems teachers have reported in believing themselves capable to implement the Common Core State Standards with students in special education. This study examines the effect professional development on implementing the Common Core State Standards had on the participating teachers' self-efficacy beliefs. The participants (N=21) in this study were drawn from a 20-day professional development for teachers based on implementing the Common Core State Standards. The instrument used in the study was the Teacher Efficacy Beliefs System-Self. Data were subject to both statistical and qualitative analysis.

The results of this study provide insight into the self-efficacy beliefs of the participants during and shortly after professional development about implementing the Common Core State Standards with students in special education. The Wilcoxon test of signed ranks revealed a significant increase in the TEB-S subscale areas of Accommodating Individual Differences and Managing Learning Routines, but not in Positive Classroom Climate. Qualitative analysis of data found both support for the statistical findings and also contradicted the statistical findings. Further qualitative analysis showed that practices presented in the professional development such as using the arts, formative assessment, and technology were effective in maintaining their teachers' self-efficacy beliefs after professional development. Factors unrelated to the professional development, such as support from administrators and colleagues and poorly working technology were not supportive in carrying over the increase in teachers' self-efficacy beliefs in implementing the Common Core State Standards with students in special education.

The study is framed by Social Cognitive Theory and organized into 5 parts. Chapter I provides an overview of the study. Chapter II includes a review of literature related to teachers' self-efficacy belief's Common Core State Standards, and professional development. Chapter III describes the methodology of the study. Chapter IV presents the results of the analysis of data. Chapter IV reports the findings of the study and presents the conclusions of the study and ideas for future research.

This mixed methods study of teachers’ beliefs about Advanced Placement (AP) equity and access policies occurred in Sunshine County School District, a large south Florida school district that has received accolades for leading the nation in access and equity in AP. Drawing on social reconstructionism, this study framed AP as an acceleration mechanism with the potential to increase students’ prospects for social advancement. These policies have resulted in a more diverse classroom experience through nontraditional student participation in AP courses.

The purpose of this embedded case study was to examine the relationship between beliefs held by AP teachers in regard to the implementation of equity and access policies, as well as to what extent these beliefs may support or hinder the execution of such policies and procedures. The study occurred in three phases and consisted of document analysis, a survey, and interviews. Surveys collected from 176 AP teachers in the district yielded quantitative data on AP teachers’ beliefs regarding equity and access and the subsequent implementation of equity and access policies. Qualitative data regarding beliefs surrounding equity and access policies and the potential challenges these policies may pose were collected through open-ended survey questions, document analysis, and interviews with eight teachers at two selected high schools representing the highest and the lowest access rates to AP in the district.

The findings indicated that AP teachers support equity and access policies in AP. Despite these beliefs, there is evidence that such policies are not implemented consistently across schools and particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related content areas. The analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data led to the conclusion that the historic tension between elitism and equity that surrounds the AP program currently is fueled primarily through state accountability measures. Implications and suggestions for future research are related to policy changes regarding the revision of the state of Florida grading system and district-level procedural changes in relation to the design of school-based professional development and development of clear AP pathways that support access among underrepresented students.

This paper examines the association between race blame attitudes with support for policies aimed at improving the nation’s large cities among White and Black Americans. Although legislative safeguards protect the constitutional rights of all Americans, Blacks trail Whites on nearly all quality of life indicators. By extension, the quality of life within cities with disproportionate and segregated Black populations is decidedly worse than in other cities. That said, the current study largely finds that black and white Americans maintain different motivations for supporting increased or decreased funding for large urban American cities, which often serves as a code word for Black cities. According to the General Social Survey (2014), among whites, individuals that believe that racial inequality result from a lack of Black effort are more likely than others to believe that that the government does not need to offer any additional help to large American cities. This relationship, however, does not hold up for Blacks, suggesting perhaps that the word “city” operates as a code word for Whites that spurs racial resentment.

The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive, and comparative study was achieved by investigating and comparing general and special education kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade teacher beliefs on inclusion, as well as their perceptions of accommodations, preparation, and barriers to inclusion. More specifically, three categories or variables of general education and special education teachers’ beliefs were explored: (a) core perspectives, (b) expected outcomes, and (c) classroom practices for student inclusion. The researcher utilized the My Thinking About Inclusion (MTAI) survey developed by Stoiber, Gettinger, and Goetz (1998).

The following research questions guided this study: (a) What relationships, if any, exist between general and special education teachers’ beliefs about inclusion in an urban school district in southern California as measured by the MTAI survey? and (b) To what extent, if at all, are general and special education teachers’ beliefs about inclusion in one urban school district in southern California, as measured by the MTAI survey, related to their demographic characteristics? The MTAI survey was administered to 91 teacher participants who supported students with disabilities in inclusive education in kindergarten through 2nd grade during the 2016–17 school year. Fifty-four participants (59%) completed the MTAI survey. Out of the 54 participants, 24 were general education teachers and 30 were special education teachers.

The findings of this study shared that a key factor promoting positive attitudes toward inclusion depended on the teacher attending professional development that supported their work with SWD. For all three belief subscales, Core Perspectives, Expected Outcomes, and Classroom Practices; coteaching was found to be the most favorable training for general education teachers. General education teachers also noted that trainings on working with behaviors, individualized coaching-support and networking with colleagues were supportive for them. Special education teachers’ data also showed that trainings on individualized coaching-support were significant for them. However, for the special education teachers’ trainings on accommodations and networking with colleagues were most favorable. Classroom supports such as teacher collaboration, instructional aide(s), and special education teacher(s) support were shown to influence teacher attitude and self-efficacy toward inclusion.