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Mbowane, Clement Kapase. "Exploring the educational significance of science fairs for high school science teachers." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/60958.
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In this study, the researcher sought to understand why teachers of Physical Sciences participate in the South African 'Eskom Expo for Young Scientists'. This was analysed in terms of the educational significance that they perceive the science fair to offer, what sustains their participation over a long period of time, and the extent to which Expo participation provides an opportunity for professional development. The educational significance of the Expo was established in terms of its contribution to the Professional Identity of teachers, and was related to the roles (organiser, mentor and judge) of participation in science fairs.
The sampling employed in the study was both purposive and convenience-based in nature. Only schools participating regularly (at least five times in the past ten years) in the long running (since 1980) of the 'Expo for Young Scientists' (Northern Gauteng Region) were selected. Five urban public high schools and ten teachers of the school subject "Physical Sciences" were identified to participate in this study. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with two teachers from each school in this QUAL-quan research approach. The interview transcripts were subjected to a thematic analysis, where after the points raised by the teachers were clustered into categories and related to sub-themes and themes according to the educational significance for teachers, the benefits and drawbacks for learners, teachers' Professional Identity, and reasons for sustained participation.
Many researchers regard science fairs as one of the better ways to enhance science education. Globally, science fairs have been taking place for more than 30 years and are thought to have educational value for both science teachers and learners. These science fairs provide a context for the development and application of scientific investigation and research skills. This research employed the model of Beijaard, Meijer and Verloop (2004) to characterise teachers' Professional Identity (professional knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, norms and values, and emotions). The researcher also employed Ajzen's (1991) Theory of Planned Behaviour to understand why teachers take part and sustain their involvement in the Expo, be it at school or regional level. The major focus was thus on the benefits for teachers as perceived by them, with some contextualisation of the educational benefits and potential drawbacks for learners, while the literature to date has largely reported on the benefits for learners.
This study has found that expos provide sustainable educational significance in terms of professional development for teachers, and enhance aspects of their Professional Identity, such as contributing to pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, as well as scientific procedural and declarative or factual knowledge. Their self-efficacy beliefs are strengthened, positive attitudes are developed, and strategies of inquiry based learning and effective methodological instructions in science education, which contributes to their teaching. Learners gain knowledge of science through reading and investigations, and also learn more of the nature of science. Teachers' values (and those of their schools) are reflected when their emotions are lifted in sharing learners' achievements in the science Expo. Teachers learn both from their engagement with learners, but also through networking opportunities with fellow teachers. The consequent enhancement of Professional Identity contributes to the sustainability of their participation in the Expo.
Although this research focused on teachers of Physical Sciences, learners in the Expo are guided on projects ranging from biology and environmental sciences, engineering and design, information technology to psychology, and various social sciences beyond the physical sciences. The teachers who guide the subjects related to these fields possibly have similar experiences, thus extending investigations to such teachers would surely provide a richer set of insights. Teachers who do not sustain their participation did not form part of the research, but their experiences and perceptions were included to further enrich the nature of the findings. It is recommended that the opportunity for professional development that is provided by teachers' participation in such school level investigation science fairs be acknowledged and promoted by schools and fair organisers. They can do this by continuing to extend the range of teachers who are encouraged to be involved in such science fairs.Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2016.
Humanities Education
MEd
Unrestricted
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St, Cyr Karen. "Teacher change facilitated by sustained School Situated Professional Development exemplar learning of Technology Enhanced Formative Assessment (TEFA) /." Amherst, Mass. : University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2009. http://scholarworks.umass.edu/open_access_dissertations/27/.
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Printy, Susan M. "Communities of practice : participation patterns and professional impact for high school mathematics and science teachers." The Ohio State University, 2002. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1300291761.
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Lawwill, Kenneth Stuart. "Using Writing-To-Learn Strategies: Promoting Peer Collaboration Among High School Science Teachers." Diss., Virginia Tech, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/28374.
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Writing-to-learn strategies have been well documented in the promotion of student learning (Poirrier, 1997c). Less is known about how teachers come to use these strategies in every day instruction. This study is a description of the experiences of one science teacher at a large suburban high school who shared writing-to-learn strategies with his department to promote the use of these strategies in daily instruction of his colleagues. The strategies involved 1) improving reading comprehension using paraphrasing, 2) activating prior knowledge using generic questions: who, what, where, when, why, & how, and 3) writing before and after other classroom activities to activate prior knowledge and then better integrate new information. The strategies were shared during informal meetings at lunch. Participation was voluntary. Of the eighteen faculty members, four chose to implement the strategies on a longer-term basis. Follow-up analysis in subsequent years, showed that the strategies were still in use and that the colleagues who used the strategies had passed them on to newly inducted members of the department. Results were discussed with regards to how teachers acquire or decline the incorporation of new teaching ideas in the normal course of their work in collegial settings.Ed. D.
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Vail, Teresa M. "Teachers' professional development experiences: Implications for teaching practice." Scholarly Commons, 2011. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/28.
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The purpose of this study was to inquire into the ways in which participation in physical science professional development impacts science teachers' professional learning and ultimately their practice over time. This study strove to provide a greater understanding of teachers' processes as they engage in professional learning and make changes in their practice long after the requirements of the professional development have been met. The six respondents that participated in the inquiry were physical science educators who were teaching in four different high schools in Central California. The guiding research question was stated as: How does participation in physical science professional development impact teachers' professional learning and ultimately their practice? Three sub-questions were also explored: In what ways does physical science professional development impact teachers' pedagogical content knowledge over time? In what ways does physical science professional development impact teachers' curriculum decision-making processes over time? In what ways does physical science professional development support a teacher's professional learning over time? Collective case study methodology was used in order to acquire multiple perspectives on the processes of teachers' professional learning and how professional development experiences have impacted this process. From four cross-case analyses of interviews, classroom observations, and documents, six themes emerged elucidating the process of professional learning. The process of professional learning is "driven" by a constant desire to learn resulting in the participation in professional development experiences where bits-n-pieces of curriculum are incorporated into the teachers' practice supported by relationships and reflection. The pressure to conform to education policy tempers the entire process of professional learning. Lastly, the process of professional learning has produced teachers as leaders. Each aspect of the process of professional learning has been impacted by the respondents' participation in professional development. By engaging in the iterative process of professional learning described here, respondents are transforming their professional development experiences in order to learn from and about their practice over extended periods of time. As professional learners, the respondents act as change agents in their own practice, schools and learning communities. Based on the results, implications for practice and recommendations for further inquiry are also presented.
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Richardson, Sandra Denise. "Junior High School Teachers' Perceptions of Math Instruction for African American Students." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3001.
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A mathematics achievement gap exists between 8th grade African American students and other ethnic groups. Guided by the conceptual framework of constructivism, the purpose of this case study was to examine 8, Grade 8 math teachers' perceptions of factors contributing to mathematical performance gap in their African American students and what instructional strategies can be used to help reduce the achievement gap in southwest Georgia. Data were obtained through interviews and classroom observations and were coded and analyzed using typological analysis, followed by inductive analysis. The results of the data revealed teachers perceived recruiting and retaining African American teachers and providing professional development on the various co-teaching strategies, could help lower the achievement gap between African American students and other ethnic groups in the area of mathematics. Based on the findings, a professional development plan was created which addressed co-teaching, aligning instruction to the needs of African American students' culture, and implementing different instructional strategies in the math classroom. The implementation of this project may contribute toward positive social change by helping teachers support 8th grade African American students' performance in mathematics thus improving math achievement.
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Fesmire, Diana Sue. "Predicting Mathematics Teachers' Acceptance of Reflective Blogging to Improve Instruction." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2925.
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An internal district audit identified that a rural, socioeconomically disadvantaged Southwestern school district has a lack of congruent and consistent implementation of the Common Core State Standards in mathematics. Innovative and cost-saving avenues for professional development (PD), such as reflective blogging, foster teacher learning to reconcile the enacted curriculum with the intended curriculum. This correlational study investigated the predictive power of technology acceptance and motivation constructs on reflective mathematics teachers' social media use intention and participation in informal, virtual Communities of Practice (vCoP). The framework that guided this study is the unified acceptance and use of technology and self-determination theory. English-speaking mathematics teachers who read, comment, and write reflective blogs within informal vCoP participated in the study (n = 104), with a response rate of 26.4%. The study employed 2 data collection methods: an automated tool that measured the intensity of participation in vCoP and an online survey measuring predictive constructs. Multiple linear regression analysis identified performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and intrinsic motivation as significant predictive constructs of social media use intention. The regression identified no significant predictor constructs of social media use behavior. Study results form the basis of a blended PD module created for rural mathematics teachers on the benefits of participation in informal vCoP. This study and resulting project contribute to positive social change for rural mathematics teachers by creating an environment to encourage personal reflection and collaboration with virtual colleagues and ultimately improve mathematical instructional practices.
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Jayaraman, Uma Devi. "Classroom implementation of the practices learned in the Master of Chemistry Education Program by the School District of Philadelphia's High School Chemistry teachers." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2009. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/39882.
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CITE/Mathematics and Science EducationEd.D.
This dissertation reports the results of an exploratory case study utilizing quantitative and qualitative methodologies intended to ascertain the extent and differences of implementation of research-based instructional practices, learned in an intensive 26-month professional development, in their urban classrooms. Both the extent and differences in the implementation of practices were investigated in relation to the lesson design and implementation, content, and classroom culture aspects of research-based practices. Additionally, this research includes the concerns of the teachers regarding the factors that helped or hindered the implementation of research-based practices in their classrooms. Six graduates of the Master of Chemistry Education Program who were teaching a chemistry course in a high school in the School District of Philadelphia at the time of the study (2006-8), were the case. The teachers completed a concerns questionnaire with closed and open-ended items, and rated their perceptions of the extent of implementation of the practices in their urban classrooms. Additionally, the teachers were observed and rated by the researcher using a reform-teaching observation protocol and were interviewed individually. Also, the teachers submitted their lesson plans for the days they were observed. Data from these sources were analyzed to arrive at the findings for this study. The research findings suggest that the group of teachers in the study implemented the research-based practices in their classrooms to a low extent when compared to the recommended practices inherent to the MCE Program. The extents of implementation of the practices differed widely among the teachers, from being absent to being implemented at a high level, with inconsistent levels of implementation from various data sources. Further, the teachers expressed the depth of knowledge (gained in the MCE Program), formal laboratory exercises and reports, administrative support, self-motivated students, and group/collaborative work as several factors that enabled or would have enabled the implementation of practices. Among the many factors that hindered the implementation of the practices in their urban classrooms were, the core curriculum and pacing schedule, followed by test preparation, administrative paper-work, large class-size, students not prepared for student-centered work, poor math and reading skills of students, students' lack of motivation, unsupportive department head, unresponsive administration, and lack of resources.
Temple University--Theses
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Miller, Jamie-Marie. "INSTRUCTIONAL COACHING AND ITS EFFECTS ON MIDDLE SCHOOL MATHEMATICS TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF COACHING AND CONTENT KNOWLEDGE: A MIXED METHODS STUDY." UKnowledge, 2017. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/edsc_etds/32.
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Instructional coaching has been a professional learning opportunity that many school districts have employed to support teacher practice. Pairing instructional coaching with on-going workshops is a relatively new approach to professional development. Participants for this study include fourteen middle school teachers that teach either mathematics or collaborate with special needs students. This study examines the effect that pairing instructional coaching with on-going workshops (with a primary focus on proportional reasoning) has on participants’ content knowledge and their perceptions of coaching. Drawing on Wenger’s community of practice theory and post-modern theory of power, this study employs mixed-methods design. Pre- and post-tests for proportional reasoning were administered to analyze the extent to which content knowledge changed over the course of the study. Pre- and post-interviews were conducted with each participant to determine any misconceptions each had on proportional reasoning and their perceptions of coaching (before and after the study’s instructional coaching). Grounded theory and thematic analysis was employed on the pre-and post-interviews to examine the role that power played in the participants’ perceptions of effective coaching attributes. Results suggest that (a) instructional coaching coupled with on-going professional workshops can change content knowledge in participants; (b) perceptions of coaching can change as the result of experiencing a coaching relationship and (c) power dynamics in the coaching experience determine the extent to which participants see the effectiveness of coaching as a professional development activity.
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Beati, Nada Y. "Smaller class size, tutoring, physical education, and professional development: Perception of Saudi Arabia female teachers for improving the academic achievement of Saudi Arabia high school girls." Scholarly Commons, 2015. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/214.
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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA, has invested ample resources to boost and enhance the environment and the outcome of its educational system. Using AlGodorat and AlTahsili, standardized tests used to evaluate students’ knowledge and skills, as a measurement to find discrepancies between girls and boys performance on these tests. This study investigated class size, tutorials, physical education and professional development as possible ways of improving the performance of Saudi Arabian girls. Further, the study conducted a survey targeting girls’ high school teachers in Saudi Arabia to get more prospective, opinions, and inclinations toward implementing these methods. Moreover, the study included recommendations for policy makers and leaders in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study found the majority of teachers were in favor of implementing these methods. Furthermore, we were able to find a correlation between teachers’ ages, locations, and experiences and their prospective toward these methods of improvement.
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Randall, Michael H. "Information technology certification programs and perceptions of attitude and need by high school principals, information technology teachers, and information technology professionals in Ohio." Columbus, Ohio : Ohio State University, 2006. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=osu1141334061.
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Joseph, Raymonde Antonia Frances. "A Comparison of the Frequencies of Selected Teaching Behaviors of Trained and Untrained Teachers." TopSCHOLAR®, 1990. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1737.
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The purpose of the study was to compare the frequencies of a selected set of teaching behaviors of trained and untrained teachers in elementary schools in St. Lucia. The dependent variables in the study were the frequencies of Structuring, Questioning, Feedback and Praise behaviors. The independent variables were training, grades awarded at teaching practice, and subject areas.
Records of the lessons were obtained through the use of audiotapes. The behaviors were coded using a low inference observation schedule. The data were analyzed using means and standard deviations. The significance and inferential statistic applied was the chi-square.
Significant differences were found to exist in the frequencies of Questioning, Feedback and Praise behaviors of trained and untrained teachers. Significant variations were found in the Questioning and Feedback behaviors according to the grades awarded at teaching practice. There were significant variations in the frequencies of all classes of behaviors across subject areas.
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Francis, Lorien Young. "A High School Biology Teacher's Development Through a New Teaching Assignment Coupled with Teacher-Led Professional Development." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2016. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/6469.
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This self-study examined the learning that emerged from a change in teaching assignment coupled with self-initiated, teacher-led professional development in order to understand a high school science teacher's development as a teacher. The two participants in the study were the teacher/researcher, an experienced high school biology teacher who was taking up a new assignment teaching biotechnology, an advanced science course; and a first-year teacher assigned to teach biotechnology, who served as collaborator in the professional development and critical friend in the study. In order to uncover the teacher/researcher's learning and thinking, self-study of teaching practice methodology most clearly met the demands of the study. Data emerged from three research conversations and included transcripts of the conversations, artifacts from the participants' practices, notes from meetings, and memos. Data were analyzed using constant comparative methods and the understandings generated are grounded in the data. The study reveals shifts in teacher identity as the expert teacher takes up novice roles, the challenges encountered when teacher knowledge is insufficient for the teaching task, and the experienced teacher's need to return to a place of expertise when faced with a new teaching context. The study finds that (a) teacher identity shifts and develops in new teaching contexts, and teaching expertise facilitates expert identity development in such contexts; (b) expert teacher knowledge mediates novice-ness when experiencing new teaching contexts such as new teaching assignments; and (c) teacher-led professional development is a viable model for professional development experiences and can lead to increased teacher knowledge. The author suggests that (a) teachers are capable of determining what they need to learn and how they might best learn it in a professional development setting; (b) teachers' specific contexts should be honored when designing professional development, which should be practice-centered, and special attention should be given to developing specific subject matter knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and science knowledge for teaching; and (c) capable others should be included in collaborative professional development teams.
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Spillane, Nancy Kay. "Teacher Characteristics and School-Based Professional Development in Inclusive STEM-focused High Schools| A Cross-case Analysis." Thesis, The George Washington University, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3687663.
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Within successful Inclusive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-focused High Schools (ISHSs), it is not only the students who are learning. Teachers, with diverse backgrounds, training, and experience, share and develop their knowledge through rich, embedded professional development to continuously shape their craft, improve their teaching, and support student success. This study of four exemplars of ISHSs (identified by experts in STEM education as highly successful in preparing students underrepresented in STEM for STEM majors in college and future STEM careers) provides a rich description of the relationships among the characteristics of STEM teachers, their professional development, and the school cultures that allow teachers to develop professionally and serve the needs of students. By providing a framework for the development of teaching staffs in ISHSs and contributing to the better understanding of STEM teaching in any school, this study offers valuable insight, implications, and information for states and school districts as they begin planning improvements to STEM education programs. A thorough examination of an existing data set that included site visits to four ISHSs along with pre- and post-visit data, provided the resource for this multiple case study with cross-case analysis of the teachers and their teacher professional development experiences.
Administrators in these ISHSs had the autonomy to hire teachers with strong content backgrounds, philosophical alignment with the school missions, and a willingness to work collaboratively toward achieving the schools' goals. Ongoing teacher professional development began before school started and continued throughout the school day and year through intense and sustained, formal and informal, active learning experiences. Flexible professional development systems varied, but aligned with targeted school reforms and teacher and student needs. Importantly, collaborative teacher learning occurred within a school-wide culture of collaboration. Teachers were guided in establishing open lines of communication that supported regular engagement with others and the free flow of ideas, practices, and concerns. As a result of this collaboration, in conjunction with intentional pathways to teacher leadership, teacher professionalization was deliberately and successfully fostered creating an environment of shared mission and mutual trust, and a shared sense of responsibility for school-wide decision-making and school outcomes.
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McCray, Carissa. "Middle and High School Teachers' Perception of Professional Development." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3179.
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Within the literature, a gap exists in understanding how teacher perceptions may be used to develop, implement, and evaluate professional development. The purpose of the qualitative case study was to describe the perceptions of middle and high school teachers regarding their professional development experiences in a rural school district in Florida. Guided by Chen and Chang's whole teacher framework and Knowles's theory of adult learning, the research questions addressed teachers' needs, expectations, and perceptions of professional development. Triangulated data sources included face-to-face interviews with 10 teachers, participant journals, and professional development agendas. Data analysis included line-by-line coding, open coding, and theoretical coding. Emerging themes were (a) effective and meaningful professional development, (b) teacher contributions to professional development, (c) teacher perceptions of professional development, and (d) student achievement due to professional development. Results indicated that although teachers perceive professional development as a tool for learning, teacher leadership, analysis of student achievement data, and collaboration are needed to increase its effectiveness. This study may contribute to positive social change by improving professional development practices in school districts, leading to enhanced student academic achievement and preparation for careers.
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Laux, Katie. "Changing High School Science Teacher Beliefs on Student Voice Through Action Research." Scholar Commons, 2019. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7838.
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The purpose of this dissertation research was to explore how engagement in action research influenced high school science teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices related to student voice and participation. This included exploring any affordances or obstacles they experienced with attempting to increase student voice and participation in their classrooms. I facilitated individual action research projects with the teachers, and they were able to discuss individual action research plans and share ideas with colleagues. Four high school science teachers began this research. While all four teachers were selected as cases, only two of the teachers designed and followed through with their action research plans. The teachers were provided with a hierarchy of student participation and examples of each of the four levels of the hierarchy in order to guide and design their action research. Collected data included transcripts from the action research group meetings, classroom observations, teacher journals, and interviews with teachers. A combination of direct interpretation and thematic coding was used to analyze the data. Direct interpretation involved writing narratives based on what I saw and interpreting events as I experienced them. The teachers either maintained their positive beliefs or formed new beliefs related to the inclusion of student voice. In addition, both teachers successfully used action research as a way to overcome obstacles and increase student voice and participation in their classrooms. This study has implications for teachers who want to use action research to better understand their teaching related to student voice, administrators and teacher educators who want to provide PD opportunities and support to meet individual teacher needs, and researchers who are interested in studying student voice.
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Ni, Lijun. "Building professional identity as computer science teachers: supporting high school computer science teachers through reflection and community building." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/42870.
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Computing education requires qualified computing teachers. The reality is that too few high schools in the U.S. have computing/computer science teachers with formal computer science (CS) training, and many schools do not have CS teacher at all. Moreover, teacher retention rate is often low. Beginning teacher attrition rate is particularly high in secondary education. Therefore, in addition to the need for preparing new CS teachers, we also need to support those teachers we have recruited and trained to become better teachers and continue teaching CS. Teacher education literature, especially teacher identity theory, suggests that a strong sense of teacher identity is a major indicator or feature of committed, qualified teachers. However, under the current educational system in the U.S., it could be challenging to establish teacher identity for high school (HS) CS teachers, e.g., due to a lack of teacher certification for CS.
This thesis work centers upon understanding the sense of identity HS CS teachers hold and exploring ways of supporting their identity development through a professional development program: the Disciplinary Commons for Computing Educators (DCCE). DCCE has a major focus on promoting reflection on teaching practice and community building. With scaffolded activities such as course portfolio creation, peer review and peer observation among a group of HS CS teachers, it offers opportunities for CS teachers to explicitly reflect on and narrate their teaching, which is a central process of identity building through their participation within the community.
In this thesis research, I explore the development of CS teacher identity through professional development programs. I first conducted an interview study with local HS CS teachers to understand their sense of identity and factors influencing their identity formation. I designed and enacted the professional program (DCCE) and conducted case studies with DCCE participants to understand how their participation in DCCE supported their identity development as a CS teacher.
Overall,I found that these CS teachers held different teacher identities with varied features related to their motivation and commitment in teaching CS. I identified four concrete factors that contributed to these teachers' sense of professional identity as a CS teacher. I addressed some of these issues for CS teachers' identity development (especially the issue of lacking community) through offering professional development opportunities with a major focus on teacher reflection and community building. Results from this work indicate a potential model of supporting CS identity development, mapping the characteristics of the professional development program with particular facets of CS teacher identity.
This work offers further understanding of the unique challenges that current CS teachers are facing in their CS teaching, as well as the challenges of preparing and supporting CS teachers. My findings also suggest guidelines for teacher education and professional development program design and implementation for building committed, qualified CS teachers in ways that promote the development of CS teacher identity.
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Puente-Ervin, Leslie. "How High School Teachers Perceive the Quality of Professional Development." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3063.
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New Jersey is 1 of 46 states to enroll in President Obama's Race-to-the-Top Initiative. Participating states must adopt national standards, revise teacher evaluation procedures, and administer new state assessments. States are prioritizing quality professional development (PD) to prepare teachers for these rapid shifts. The overall problem studied was how high school teachers perceive the quality of PD in a high school in New Jersey. While substandard PD alone is not enough to lose tenure, it has recently become one of the evaluative measures for teacher performance according to a new tenure law signed in 2012 by Governor Chris Christie. Such added pressures could impact teachers' attitudes toward their professional growth. The study was based on Mezirow and Knowles' theory of adult learning as well as social constructivism. Several questions guided this study, such as how can teachers' perceptions shape the current PD program in the featured high school and if the current shifts in educational reform affect their perception. A case study was used as the research design, and interviews were employed as the main method of gathering qualitative data. Subsequently, 7 educators in various content-specialties were interviewed. Once the interviews were analyzed, transcribed, and coded, 5 significant themes emerged: (a) organized and relevant training, (b) in-class support, (c) continuity and constructive feedback, (d) accountability of transference, and (e) a culture of respectful collaboration and partnership. The implications for social change for this project would be that an effective PD program at the high school might improve the high school teachers' attitudes toward their own professional growth. Improved attitudes might motivate teachers to apply new knowledge, which will increase student performance, faculty morale, and community & family relations.
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Melville, Wayne Stuart. "Professional learning in a school-based community of science teachers." Curtin University of Technology, Science and Mathematics Education Centre, 2005. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=16182.
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This thesis investigates professional learning in a school-based community of science teachers. Transcripts of science staff meetings were analysed using two frameworks. These frameworks relate to the notions of community and professional learning. The school-based community is interpreted in terms of three metaphors of understanding: meanings, practice and identity. Professional learning is interpreted in terms of how the teachers learn the episteme, techne and phronesis of their science teaching. I propose that professional learning occurs when teachers engage in virtues-based personal reflection and/or public discourse around episteme, techne and phronesis in the spaces 'in-between' the metaphors of community. This proposition raises implications for the accessibility of professional learning and the relationship between community and organisational boundaries.
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Lundström, Johanna. "Professional development for inquiry-based science education in a low stake high support environment : The French ASTEP-program." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för matematikämnets och naturvetenskapsämnenas didaktik, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-146203.
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This work examines the learning outcomes of a French professional development program for science education in primary school, ASTEP. The program is based on a partnership between a primary school teacher on one hand and a subject expert on the other. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the subject expert is a young university student who is challenged to be assessed on his/her learning for academic credits. Compared to most other professional development programs, ASTEP displays an alternative knowledge hierarchy, it is neither top down nor bottom up, but rather a form of knowledge exchange. Data on students´ and teachers´ reflections on the collaboration were analyzed through a grounded theory approach and subsequently organized within the interconnected model of teacher professional growth (IMTPG). Although the analyses indicated significant changes in the practice of the teachers, the learners who individually seem to benefit the most were the university students. The ASTEP program appears to provide a low stake high support scaffold for the students to refine their values and beliefs about a professional life and develop a professional identity.
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Reinhorn, Stefanie Karchmer. "Teachers’ Views of School-Based Professional Learning in Six High-Performing, High-Poverty, Urban Schools." Thesis, Harvard University, 2015. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:16461036.
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Policy makers, practitioners and scholars agree that teachers need sustained job-embedded professional learning experiences to help students meet the demands of new accountability systems, higher education, and the workforce (Smylie, Miretzky, & Konkol, 2004; Valli & Buese, 2007). Research shows that job-embedded learning for teachers can improve student performance (Parise, & Spillane, 2010). Although, researchers generally agree about the core features of effective professional development (Cohen & Hill, 2001; Desimone, 2011), their findings do not provide sufficient guidance to practitioners and policy makers in designing and implementing on-the-job learning opportunities (Hill, Beisiegel, & Jacob, 2013). This dissertation is a qualitative, comparative case study embedded in a larger study, “Developing Human Capital Within Schools,” conducted by the Project on the Next Generation of Teachers. I analyzed collected documents and data from 142 semi-structured interviews of administrators and a diverse sample of teachers from six high-performing, high-poverty schools within one city. Three of the schools are state-authorized charter schools (one a restart of an underperforming school) and three are district schools (one traditional and two former turnaround). In this study, I explored how teachers experienced and assessed three practices intended to support improvements in teaching quality—teacher evaluation, collaborative data routines and peer observation. Teachers and administrators across the sample, described evaluation, first and foremost, as a robust, ongoing improvement process that incorporated frequent feedback to teachers, which they valued. It also played a role in holding teachers accountable for their work. All six schools had structured data routines that required teachers to collaboratively gather, analyze and respond to students’ learning data. Data practices contributed to high expectations for all students and teachers. Finally, the schools had a range of practices that allowed teachers to observe each other, be observed, and in some cases analyze the experience. Teachers’ responses, although generally very positive, differed across and within schools, depending on the school’s ability to address logistical and cultural barriers to peer observation. None of these practices were implemented as discrete, stand-alone initiatives. Instead, the professional learning opportunities at these schools were intensive experiences that teachers described as highly interconnected.Education Policy, Leadership, and Instructional Practice
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Johnson, Audrey D. "Professional Development that Enhances Pedagogy| Perceptions of Teachers in a Rural High School." Thesis, Piedmont College, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3607658.
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The purpose of this study was to provide insight into teacher perceptions as to if and how professional learning communities (PLCs) promote and support effective professional development in a rural high school. Effective professional development should enhance pedagogy, which is defined as improving educational practices of teachers through opportunities that increase knowledge and improve skills (No Child Left Behind, 2001, Section 9101). A case study approach and qualitative data collection methods were selected for the study due to the real-life context in which the inquiry occurred. Data collection began with surveys in order to acquire a broad view of teachers' perceptions, focus groups provided more specificity to teachers' perceptions, and finally individual interviews afforded the most detailed information.
The themes that emerged indicated that collaboration is the most important characteristic of a professional learning community in terms of usefulness, flexibility, and professional growth. Most teachers indicated that due to participation in a PLC they had grown professionally and their students had also benefitted. A major theme throughout participant responses was the need for both job-embedded professional development (PLCs) and traditional professional development (workshops, conferences, etc.). Teachers, administration, and board members of similar rural school districts may benefit from this study by understanding teachers’ perceptions of effective professional development that impacts classroom instruction.
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Lofgran, Brandi Lue. "Science Self-Efficacy and School Transitions: Elementary School to Middle School and Middle School to High School." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2012. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3669.
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This study examined the science self-efficacy beliefs of students before and after transitions from elementary to middle school and middle school to high school. The purpose was to explore whether those beliefs changed with grade level, gender, and ethnicity. Data were collected through a modified Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (Muris, 2001), which was adapted to focus on science self-efficacy. Multiple ordinary least squares regression was used to analyze the data. All grade levels showed a clear decline in science self-efficacy after sixth grade with females, Hispanic students, and ninth graders showing the greatest decline in science self-efficacy.
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Lugar, Debbie Jean. "Identifying Professional Development Needs of High School Teachers Tasked with Online Course Design." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3457.
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To satisfy demand for online learning opportunities at the high school level, 3 school districts in the northeast United States established a consortium to share resources to develop and deliver online courses. High school teachers who volunteered to develop courses for the consortium attempted the task without previous training in online course design and facilitation. High school students enrolled in the courses often did not successfully complete them, which obstructed the mission of the consortium. The purpose of this qualitative single critical case study was to explore teachers' experiences with and perceptions of designing and developing online courses without accompanying professional development. The iNACOL National Standards for Quality Online Courses (v2) and technological, pedagogical, content knowledge (TPACK) served as the conceptual frameworks for the study. Five teachers who developed and facilitated an online course for the consortium, without companion professional development, volunteered to be interviewed. Data were reduced using NVivo software and analyzed using a priori codes based on NACOL standards then open-coded for emerging themes. Results indicated that other than content expertise, teachers did not believe they had sufficient competencies in any of the areas identified in the iNACOL standards. Based on these results, an online professional development course for teachers was designed to provide introductory training and to model elements of quality online course design using the Moodle learning management system. Positive social change may be achieved if teachers have the knowledge and skills required to develop high-caliber, innovative, and convenient education opportunities that encourage students' course completion which leads to learning and academic success.
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Sameipour, Sharmin Faraj. "Teachers’ Perceptions toward Sustainable Agriculture in an Ohio Science High School." The Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu149426481206391.
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Ray, Charnice Starks. "Perceptions of High School Teachers on Integrating Technology Following Professional Development." ScholarWorks, 2015. http://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1716.
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Teachers integrate technology to make the learning environment interactive and appealing to students. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore perceptions of teachers at one high school working to integrate technology into instruction following participation in professional development. Guided by Dewey's constructivist theory and Mishra and Koehler's technological pedagogical content knowledge model, this study explored teachers' perceptions of pedagogy and technology integration following participation in professional development and the strategies they used to overcome barriers to integrating technology. Twelve purposefully selected high school teachers from English, social studies, mathematics, science, electives, health education, and special education provided triangulated data in the form of interviews, lesson plans, and classroom observations. Through the qualitative coding and analysis process, emergent themes were developed. Teachers suggested that professional development for technology integration should benefit the learning environment, be relevant to course content so that teachers can make connections to real-world learning experiences, and that there should be consistent follow-up training. Findings suggested that teachers have limited access to hardware and software and lack time to develop technology-rich lesson plans, and students lack technical skills. The implications for this study include that district and school administrators should plan and implement relevant professional development, assess the needs of teachers through effective communication, and identify additional resources or training to help teachers who struggle to integrate technology.
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Boatright, Elizabeth E. "Constructing high quality professional learning opportunities for high school teachers in a transformation context /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/7537.
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Owusu, Kofi Acheaw. "Assessing New Zealand high school science teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Educational Studies and Leadership, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/9254.
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Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) is the knowledge required for effective technology integration in teaching. In this study, New Zealand high school science teachers’ TPACK was assessed through an online survey. The data and its analysis revealed that New Zealand’s high school science teachers in general had a high perception of their understanding of TPACK and its related constructs. Science teachers had high mean scores on all the constructs on a five- point Likert scale except technological knowledge. There is thus an indication that science teachers in New Zealand perceived themselves as being able to teach with technology effectively. Correlation analysis revealed that all six constructs correlated significantly with TPACK (also referred to as TPCK). Multiple and stepwise regression analyses revealed that Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK) and Technological Content Knowledge (TCK) made statistically significant unique contributions to Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK). Pre-registered teachers indicated that their levels of TCK and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) were lower than more experienced teachers. This implied that recently graduated teachers found it difficult to appropriate the affordances of technology to affect the content they taught. Also, these recently graduated teachers lacked the experience to represent content in a format that made it comprehensible to their learners.
The contextual factors that influenced teachers’ use of technology as well as teachers’ TPACK levels were investigated through multiple embedded case studies of six teachers who were regular users of technology in their teaching. The case studies revealed that science teachers used technology to support inquiry learning in a wide range of ways in lower levels of high school but mostly to clarify concepts and theories when it came to the senior level of high school. Teachers demonstrated different levels of expertise and engagement in the use of technology for transferring different types of knowledge from one teaching and learning context to another and for addressing differences amongst learners. This signalled that science teachers’ TPACK apparent developmental levels shifted depending on the context of the assessment requirements of the students. This is a major finding in this study because although previous researchers have assumed that context influences teachers’ TPACK characteristics and development, this study provides evidence of how specific aspects of context influences teachers’ TPACK. This evidence shows examples of how the development of an individual’s TPACK can be considered as dynamic where the interacting constructs and characteristics shift and change based on the context.
The recommendations from this study propose that teacher education programmes should ensure that there is a focus on teaching preservice teachers how to appropriate the affordances of technology to teach specific content instead of teaching one technology skills based course. The evidence from this study indicates that teachers in New Zealand schools use collegial approaches in the use of technology. Therefore professional learning programmes should target groups of teachers in the same school or cluster of schools rather than targeting individual teachers. This will enable teachers to share ideas and provide leadership for their colleagues in terms of how to use technology. Again, technology related professional development programmes should move away from enriching teachers’ technological skills to emphasising how teachers can appropriate the affordances of technology in their classroom practices to meet their instructional goals as well as students’ learning outcomes. There is a consequent obligation for teacher educators, educationists and stakeholders to enable teachers to understand how best to harness the increased knowledge retrieval capacity that Information and Communication Technology affords, its information sharing abilities as well as the capacity to engage young people to act as experimenters, designers and creators of knowledge.
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Çikmaz, Ali. "Examining two Turkish teachers' questioning patterns in secondary school science classrooms." Thesis, University of Iowa, 2014. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/1442.
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This study examined low and high level teachers' questioning patterns and classroom implementations within an argument-based inquiry approach known as the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach, which addresses issues on negotiation, argumentation, learning, and teaching. The level of the teachers was determined by the students' writing scores. This study was conducted in Turkey with seven teacher for preliminary study. Because scoring writing samples examines the students' negotiation level with the different sources and students learn scientific process, as negotiation, which they may transfer into their writing, in classroom, two teachers were selected to represent low and high level teachers. Data collection involved classroom observation through video recordings. The comparative qualitative method was employed throughout the data analysis process with including quantitative results. The research questions that guided the present study were: (1) How are low and high level teachers, determined according to their students' writing scores, questioning patterns different from each other during classroom discourse? (2) Is there a relationship between students' writings and teachers' questioning styles in the classroom? Analysis of Qualitative data showed that teachers' classroom implementations reveal big differences based on argumentation patterns. The high level teacher, whose students had high scores in writing samples, asked more questions and the cognitive levels of questions were higher than the low level teacher. Questions promote an argumentative environment and improve critical thinking skills by discussing different ideas and claims. Asking more questions of teacher influences students to initiate (ask questions) more and to learn the scientific process with science concepts. Implicitly, this learning may improve students' comparison in their writing. Moreover, high level teacher had a more structured and organized classroom than low level teacher.
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Jones-Smith, Dr Lolita. "Professional Development for High School Teachers on the Implementation of Response to Intervention." Thesis, NSUWorks, 2015. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_etd/82.
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Professional Development for High School Teachers on the Implementation of Response to Intervention. Lolita M. Jones-Smith, 2015: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education. ERIC Descriptors: Professional Development, Response to Intervention, Attendance, Achievement, Teacher Perception
The primary purposes of the study were to develop a response to intervention (RTI) professional development plan and to determine if implementation of the professional development plan changed educators’ perceptions on RTI from preimplementation to postimplementation. Since the inception of (RTI) in 2008 in the researcher’s school district, substantive, consistent, professional development initiatives for certified staff were minimally provided.The participants in the quantitative part of the study were a convenience sample of 50 educators at 1 high school in Georgia. These educators were certified regular education teachers who were content-area teachers, certified special education teachers who were content-area teachers, and department heads. The participants in the qualitative part of the study were a purposive sample of 5 department heads at the high school.
Data were collected for all participants with the Revised Survey of Teacher Perception of the RTI Process to respond to 5research questions. The intervention was the RTI professional development. The treatment period for the intervention was 10 weeks or 10 hours of training. There were 10 professional development training sessions based on a formalized and widely used RTI training curriculum by Windram, Bollman, and Johnson (2012).
The study used a convergent parallel mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data (preimplementation and postimplementation) were collected from 50 educators. Qualitative data (postimplementation only) were collected from 5 department heads. Pre- and postimplementation means, standard deviations, and effect sizes were calculated for each of the quantitative research questions. The inferential statistical model was the one-tailed t test for paired samples. Data analysis for the qualitative Research Question 4 followed a modified version of the constant comparative qualitative data-analysis procedures.
Findings for Question 1 showed the RTI professional development positively changed (1.64) educators’ perceptions of RTI related to students’ attendance and achievement, while for Research Question 2 the RTI professional development positively changed (1.94) educators’ perceptions related to the documentation of RTI procedures. Findings for Research Question 3 showed RTI professional development positively changed (3.00) educators’ perceptions of RTI related to involvement and support for RTI. Results for Research Question 4 revealed the department heads had different recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the RTI process and had mixed feelings on RTI’s effectiveness to improve the achievement of students. Findings for Research Question 5 revealed the qualitative data from the 5 department heads did not confirm the quantitative data from the 50 educators.
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Yerian, Suzanne. "A science for all Americans : developing conceptions of science and diversity in teacher education /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/7614.
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DeBernardo, Holly S. "Undergraduate Science Education of Pre-Service Teachers: The Relationship to Self-Efficacy of High School Chemistry and Biology Teachers." Youngstown State University / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1341503060.
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Mentor, Jr Mentor. "High School Science Teachers' Perspectives on Their Technology Knowledge, Content, and Pedagogy." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7237.
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In a southeastern U.S. school district, it was unknown how teachers integrated technology into their classroom teaching in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum. Teachers should be knowledgeable of their content, pedagogy of the content, and delivery instruction to improve students' learning outcomes. The purpose of this bounded qualitative case study was to examine how teachers integrated technology into their teaching to improve science students' learning outcomes. Mishra and Koehler's and Shulman's theories of technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge served as the conceptual framework. Purposeful sampling was used to select 12 certified science teachers, with at least 1 year of teaching experience, who had access to instructional technologies and taught STEM-related content. Data were collected through teachers' lesson plans and semistructured interviews. Typological analysis was used to code and summarize data into emerging themes. Teachers used computers, projectors, and mobile computer carts as instructional tools and sources to help students learn. Additionally, poor Internet connection, lack of access to district web-based science sites, interactive Smart boards, and digital projectors, and obsolete and slow-running computers were barriers to teaching and learning. Based on the findings, a 3-day professional development project was developed to improve teachers' knowledge and technology use in the STEM curriculum. This endeavor may contribute to positive social change when district administrators provide STEM teachers with technology tools and training to improve science instruction and optimal learning outcomes for students.
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Thacker, Emma Sowards. "Smooth Sailing Through Stormy Seas? High School Social Studies Teachers Navigating Their Informal Professional Learning." UKnowledge, 2014. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/edsc_etds/1.
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The present study used Nardi and O’Day’s (1999) information ecology theory, along with activity theory (Wertsch, 1998), social learning theory (Wenger, 1998), and situated learning theory (Lave, 2009; Lave & Wenger, 1991) to examine the informal professional learning of a high school social studies department. Existing literature is just beginning to attend to the potential of informal professional learning, so this exploratory study used a single-case study of a high school social studies department made up of 12 teachers. Data included observations of scheduled and spontaneous collaborative learning activities, department meetings, and in-service meetings; semi-structured interviews; and relevant documents to consider how high school social studies teacher participants navigate their own informal professional learning. Supporting research questions included: (1) How do high school social studies teacher participants choose what to do to individually and collectively meet their professional learning needs? (2) What actions do participants take to meet their professional learning needs individually and collectively? (3) How do participants evaluate their professional learning growth individually and collectively? (4) How do participants interact with one another and with the environment as they navigate their own professional learning? Results indicated that participants valued their informal professional learning experiences, engaged in reflection throughout their informal professional learning, were influenced by departmental leadership, and experienced successes and failures in their informal professional learning goals. The department’s informal professional learning was important but also imperfect. Further consideration of teachers’ informal professional learning may offer new ways to support teacher growth.
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Williams, Theresa D. "High School Science Teachers' Perceptions of Teaching Content-Related Reading Comprehension Instruction." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2277.
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In order to achieve academic success, students must be able to comprehend written material in content-area textbooks. However, a large number of high school students struggle to comprehend science content. Research findings have demonstrated that students make measurable gains in comprehending content-area textbooks when provided quality reading comprehension instruction. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how high school science teachers perceived their responsibility to provide content-related comprehension instruction and 10 high school science teachers were interviewed for this study. Data analysis consisted of open, axial, and selective coding. The findings revealed that 8 out of the 10 participants believed that it is their responsibility to provide reading comprehension. However, the findings also revealed that the participants provided varying levels of reading comprehension instruction as an integral part of their science instruction. The potential for positive social change could be achieved by teachers and administrators. Teachers may use the findings to reflect upon their own personal feelings and beliefs about providing explicit reading comprehension. In addition to teachers' commitment to reading comprehension instruction, administrators could deliberate about professional development opportunities that might improve necessary skills, eventually leading to better comprehension skills for students and success in their education.
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Banda, Asiana. "ZAMBIAN PRE-SERVICE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS' CHEMICAL REASONING AND ABILITY." OpenSIUC, 2014. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/796.
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The purpose of this study was two-fold: examine junior high school pre-service science teachers' chemical reasoning; and establish the extent to which the pre-service science teachers' chemical abilities explain their chemical reasoning. A sample comprised 165 junior high school pre-service science teachers at Mufulira College of Education in Zambia. There were 82 males and 83 females. Data were collected using a Chemical Concept Reasoning Test (CCRT). Pre-service science teachers' chemical reasoning was established through qualitative analysis of their responses to test items. The Rasch Model was used to determine the pre-service teachers' chemical abilities and item difficulty. Results show that most pre-service science teachers had incorrect chemical reasoning on chemical concepts assessed in this study. There was no significant difference in chemical understanding between the Full-Time and Distance Education pre-service science teachers, and between second and third year pre-service science teachers. However, there was a significant difference in chemical understanding between male and female pre-service science teachers. Male pre-service science teachers showed better chemical understanding than female pre-service science teachers. The Rasch model revealed that the pre-service science teachers had low chemical abilities, and the CCRT was very difficult for this group of pre-service science teachers. As such, their incorrect chemical reasoning was attributed to their low chemical abilities. These results have implications on science teacher education, chemistry teaching and learning, and chemical education research.
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Ralph, Marjoire. "The Stories of Three High School English Teachers Involved in a Collaborative Study Group." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2010. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/2577.
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The purpose of this action research study was to observe, participate in, and tell the story of teachers involved in a professional development experience. Professional development is an important tool to assist teachers in improving their teaching abilities. After a review of the literature on various forms of professional development and some personal experience with a variety of professional development activities, I created a collaborative study group (CSG) that included three teachers. Their work together was studied using a narrative approach to action research. The stories of these three teachers and their experiences with an informal professional development activity are shared in narrative prose that honors the voices of the participants. The data were analyzed through an iterative process that revealed the content and process of the professional development experience and allowed me to evaluate the activity. Over the six-month study the participants explored a range of issues such as education challenges, students the teachers were working with, and the personal and professional lives of teachers. The teachers discussed educational issues related to helping students (them), the individual teachers (me), and the teachers' relationships with each other (us). The CSG was a unique and informal professional development experience that empowered the participants to take charge of their personal and professional growth as teachers. This study provides evidence that teachers do not need to rely on school or district initiatives for professional development activities but can seek out other teachers to design meaningful and effective professional development.
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Turner, Jon S. "The relationship between secondary school teacher perception of student motivation and the effects of teacher professional development on student motivation." Diss., Columbia, Mo. : University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10355/4348.
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Thesis (Ph. D.) University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006.The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 9, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.
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Koebley, Sarah Cotton. "Dimensions of Social Capital Among High School Mathematics Teachers." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1364830696.
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Bryant, Dean Rochelle. "Middle School Teachers' Perceptions of Instructional Coaching." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6531.
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Instructional coaching, a multifaceted form of job-embedded professional development in education, is widely spreading across the United States as a means of improving staff performance and student learning. The problem was that there was a decrease in 8th grade student achievement in mathematics in this school district. The purpose of the intrinsic qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions and experiences of middle school math teachers about the role of instructional coaches in supporting math instruction. Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Knowles' andragogy adult learning theories formed the conceptual framework that guided this study. The research questions focused on mathematics teachers' perceptions of the role of instructional coaches and their experiences working with coaches. A case study design was used to capture the insights of 5 mathematics teachers through semistructured interviews. Emergent themes were identified through open coding, and the findings were developed and checked for trustworthiness through member checking and a peer audit. The findings revealed 5 themes: collaboration, observations with feedback sessions, data analysis sessions, professional development, and student achievement. A professional development project was created to provide and improve collaborative skills between teachers and instructional coaches. This study has implications for positive social change through the creation of a plan to build stronger teacher-coach connections to improve student learning opportunities.
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Edwards, Melissa Gilbert. "High School Teachers' Perceptions of Developing Critical Thinkers via the Socratic Method." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6555.
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A global concern exists regarding the lack of critical thinking skills in young adults and college graduates. Fortune 500 companies have reported the need for better development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills to prepare employees to be successful in the workplace. This study focused on teacher perceptions of the Socratic method (SM) in developing critical thinking skills in high school students. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative case study was to describe high school teachers' perceptions regarding the development of critical thinkers via the Socratic method. Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development was used in this qualitative study to explore perceptions of 7 teachers. The central research question and subquestions that guided this study were focused on teachers' perceptions of the SM and its effectiveness in developing critical thinking skills in high school students. Data were collected with face-to-face interviews with 7 teachers and classroom observations. Data were recorded via a systematic approach with chart and diagrams. Themes, patterns, and any identified relationships were categorized and coded to comprise data tracking. Results indicated that a lack of professional development, teacher comfort level, and student participation all played a role in low SM execution. The resulting project was designed to provide teachers with materials and learning opportunities to increase their SM skill level and stimulate teachers to use their new knowledge to increase critical thinking skills in high school students. The online professional development course evaluation provided both summative and formative assessments. The project contributes to social change by helping improve the way teachers teach and students learn the SM, which may result in improved critical thinking skills in students.
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Hauck, Nancy. "Effects of Sustained Teacher Professional Development on the Classroom Science Instruction of Elementary School Teachers." DigitalCommons@USU, 2012. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/1343.
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The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which sustained teacher professional development in science education affects the classroom instruction of elementary school teachers in third through sixth grade over a 3-year period. The teachers in the study were all elementary endorsed and prepared to be generalists in the content areas.
Science reform has led to more content-specific science standards that are difficult for most elementary teachers to address without professional development. Recent studies on improving elementary science instruction suggest the need for professional development to be long term, embedded in teaching practice in the classroom, and rooted in research on how children learn science. The researcher examined changes in classroom instruction over a 3-year period of teachers who participated in a professional development program designed to meet the elementary science education reform based on recommendations from the National Research Council’s report, Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8.
The data that were analyzed to determine the effects of the professional development came from classroom observations of two sets of teachers, one of which was the control set (n = 20). The other was the experimental set (n =22). Classroom observations were administered one time each year over 3 years of treatment to determine whether sustained professional development in science impacted teacher practices in the classroom.
This study suggested that classroom science instruction did significantly change through sustained professional development intervention. It also suggested that teaching practices improved in the areas of talk and argument, investigation and inquiry, modeling and representations, alignment with science core concepts, and addressing science misconceptions. Furthermore, findings indicated that teachers who received sustained professional development were more likely to have higher overall effective science instruction scores.
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Hitt, Sara Beth, Charles L. Wood, and Angela I. Preston. "Positive Connections: Building Relationships Between Teachers and At-risk High School Students." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2016. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/4061.
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Presenters will share Positive Connections, a school-wide intervention that addresses educational outcomes of secondary students at risk for school failure by (a) providing a list of at-risk students, (b) prompting staff and student interaction, (c)helping to create support teams, and (d) providing opportunities for early intervention and dropout prevention.
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Gwizdak, Anne Marie. "Middle School Teachers' Experiences Regarding the Influence of Data on Instruction." ScholarWorks, 2014. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/143.
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This research addressed the data-driven process that teachers utilized to increase student scores on state tests, a process brought forth from a national concern with increased accountability. According to the district website, there is no consistent direction for data use and informal teacher interviews demonstrated varying levels of proficiency and understanding in using available data. Constructivism and learning styles from Vygotsky, Bandura, and Gardner informed this qualitative case study's theoretical framework, which centered on data-driven decision making for instruction. The research questions explored the experiences of middle school teachers in collecting and analyzing data, how the school supported the teachers' process of using data, and what support or knowledge teachers thought would help them more effectively use data to inform instructional decision making. This study gathered information through the use of open-ended questionnaires (n = 25) and follow-up interviews (n = 9), and documented the daily actions within the setting to enable a full understanding of the problem through observations of teacher meetings (n = 21). The data were analyzed using the constant comparative method, including descriptive coding and the formulation of characterized themes to summarize the concerns and needed support for teachers to use data more efficiently. Emergent themes revealed that time and collaboration were needed for effective data implementation. This research provided a voice for the teachers. In doing so, it identified goals for a project of increasing student performance by scheduling professional learning opportunities and fostering teacher confidence.
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Robertson, Laura, and M. Gail Jones. "Chinese and US Middle-School Science Teachers' Autonomy, Motivation, and Instructional Practices." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2013. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/765.
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This study examined Chinese and US middle-school science teachers' perceptions of autonomy support. Previous research has documented the link between teachers' perceptions of autonomy and the use of student-oriented teaching practices for US teachers. But is not clear how the perception of autonomy may differ for teachers from different cultures or more specifically how motivation factors differ across cultures. The survey measured teachers' motivation, perceptions of constraints at work, perceptions of students' motivation, and level of autonomy support for students. Exploratory factor analysis of responses for the combined teacher sample (n = 201) was carried out for each of the survey assessments. Significance testing for Chinese (n = 107) and US (n = 94) teachers revealed significant differences in teachers' motivation and perceptions of constraints at work and no significant differences for perceptions of students' motivation or their level of autonomy support for students. Chinese teachers' perceptions of constraints at work, work motivation, and perceptions of student motivation were found to significantly predict teachers' autonomy support. For the US teachers, teacher motivation was the only significant predictor of teachers' autonomy support. A sub-sample of teachers (n = 19) was interviewed and results showed that teachers in both countries reported that autonomy was important to their motivation and the quality of science instruction they provided to students. The primary constraints on teaching reported by the US teachers related to materials and laboratory space while the Chinese teachers reported constraints related to the science curriculum and standards.
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Fricke, Norma Irene. "The effect of a mentoring programme targeting secondary school science and mathematics teachers in a developmental context." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2008. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-11262009-002707.
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U, Eddy. "Professional degeneration and political decay Shanghai schoolteachers and the Socialist state, 1949-1968 /." online access from Digital dissertation consortium access full-text, 2001. http://libweb.cityu.edu.hk/cgi-bin/er/db/ddcdiss.pl?3019838.
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Sullivan, Mariya Anne. "Factors underlying high school mathematics teachers' perceptions of challenging math tasks." Scholarly Commons, 2019. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/3584.
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In this confirmatory factor analysis, factors previously identified to explain the variability in Middle School Mathematics Teachers’ perception of the Common Core State Standards of Mathematics were considered as factors hypothesized to effect high school math teachers’ perceptions of challenging math tasks (CMTs). The factor of student characterization (i.e., disposition, academic preparation, and student behavior) was additionally considered as a factor hypothesized to explain teachers’ perceptions of CMTs, as well as site-based variables (i.e., curriculum, assessment and evaluation, professional development, and collaboration). In addition, teachers’ understanding of the importance of the mathematical practice standards and teacher familiarity with enacting CMTs were factors considered in the model. The original septenary factor structure was modified and good model fit was achieved. In addition to the confirmatory factor analysis model which provides a structure for considering teachers perceptions of CMTs, descriptive statistics are presented from the survey developed that captured teachers’ perceptions of CMTs relative to their sites.
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McMillan, Andrea. "The relationship between professional learning and middle school teachers' knowledge and use of differentiated instruction." ScholarWorks, 2011. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/871.
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Self-efficacy beliefs, a component of Bandura's social cognition theory, provided the basis for this study of teachers' participation in professional learning. Training and positive experiences increase teacher efficacy, or the level of effort and persistence educators are willing to exert as they teach. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between teachers' participation in differentiated instruction (DI) in-service opportunities and teachers' knowledge and frequency of use of DI. It was hypothesized that middle school teachers' levels of DI training would be related to teachers' knowledge and use of DI in the classroom. An anonymous survey was used to collect data from 79 teachers. Regression analyses revealed that teachers' levels of DI training were not positively related to teachers' knowledge of DI, but there was a positive relationship between teachers' familiarity and use of content, process, product, and DI strategies. Teachers' education levels influenced their use of DI; however, teachers' experience levels did not. ANOVA was used to compare teachers' use of DI across grade levels, and results indicated that grade levels taught did not affect teachers' use of DI. Descriptive analyses indicated that most teachers were familiar with DI and used many of the DI techniques often; however, most reported that they learned how to differentiate using methods other than staff development. Many teachers reported that they would be willing to participate in future DI training. DI staff development is recommended as a way to educate teachers in additional DI methods. Implications for positive social change include increased DI training opportunities for teachers that can result in increased self-efficacy and instructional changes that can help improve student achievement.
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Mccarthy, Kelly Elizabeth. "An Analysis of the Formal and Informal Professional Learning Practices of Middle and High School Mathematics Teachers." Scholar Commons, 2016. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6318.
Full textAbstract:
Although there has been a substantial amount of research on the topic of teacher professional development, few studies adequately captured the types and frequency of formal and informal professional learning teachers undertake to improve as educators. The purpose of this study was to examine the types of activities middle and high school mathematics teachers engaged in to improve their abilities as educators, analyzed by the participants’ school setting, years of teaching experience, level of education, degree major, certificate type, and their school’s Title I status.
Teachers from two large school districts in Florida participated. The Teachers’ Opportunity to Learn (TOTL) survey was used to collect the data. The TOTL measured the professional learning activities of teachers based on seven learning categories: (a) workshops, (b) teacher collaboration, (c) university courses, (d) conferences, (e) mentoring/coaching, (f) informal communication, and (g) individual learning activities. Teachers were solicited to participate two times; which generated 245 responses for analysis.
The results of this study indicated that teachers devoted an extensive amount of time on professional development, with the majority of time spent on informal learning activities. Every participant in the study engaged in at least one professional development activity; most engaged in four or more activities. The activity with the highest amount of participation (99.2%) and greatest amount of time spent (36.62 hours per month) was individual learning activities. Other notable areas of participation were professional development programming, teacher collaboration, and informal communication. When the activities were analyzed by demographic variable, 16 comparisons were found to be statistically significant. Mentoring/coaching activities produced more significant results than any other activity in the study. Analyses also confirmed that the professional learning practices of new teachers were significantly different from their more experienced peers.
The findings from this study could serve as the impetus for programmatic changes and policy reform within the education community. School districts could benefit by creating professional development programs that support teacher collaboration, informal communication, and self-directed learning. State education departments could encourage these endeavors by redirecting funding and redesigning certification systems to recognize these non-traditional individualized activities.