To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Teacher of professional education.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Teacher of professional education'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'Teacher of professional education.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse dissertations / theses on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Bostock, John Raymond. "Conceptualising teacher education in professional training." Thesis, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2013. http://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/313187/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis examines the education of people who are employed as educators in certain professional settings. It considers how such education has changed in response to academic accreditation increasingly being demanded in professional locations. Yet, the preparation of in-service trainee teachers is depicted as still being concerned with enabling compliance with prescriptive, professional guidelines that temper educational aspirations. This is shown to have implications for how professional identity is understood for the teacher educators and for the trainee teachers. This topic is considered primarily through the perspective of the author’s own recent professional engagement in police training, with some historical reference to other areas of professional training in which he has been engaged. By considering his own practice, the author conveys the educational challenges being encountered more generally as preparing those for work in professional training is recast as teacher education. A central theme is concerned with how the challenges relate to professional concepts of ‘teacher’ mediated through language associated with respective professions. The thesis considers how these restrictive definitions introduce uncertainty in relation to how professional identity is experienced by professional trainers, especially the police, when engaged in teacher education. The principal focus of this thesis, therefore, concerns not only the notions of professional teacher or trainer perceived by those who have undertaken teacher education, but also an analytical investigation into the responses made by trainee teachers in relation to the qualification content and the training experience.
2
Mahlaela, Kedibone I. "Teacher assessment for teacher professional development." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/71703.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.<br>Bibliography<br>This study is an investigation of the link between the current South African Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) as an assessment process and teacher professional development in South Africa. A review of literature confirms that teacher assessment should and could facilitate teacher professional development. However, how teacher assessment affects teacher professional development has not been fully recognized. There is, however, little empirical research available on how teacher assessment affects teacher professional development. Steyn and van Niekerk (2002) have noticed that little is known on the kind of support that teachers should receive as a result of teacher assessment. As a result, people are unclear on how teacher assessment should be implemented in order to yield effective teacher professional development.
Though the government took numerous efforts to ensure greater teacher accountability and functional schools over some years via policy interventions such as IQMS, there are still deep-seated challenges that hamper these interventions from working effectively. Therefore, the qualitative case study has used three secondary schools in Limpopo, Capricorn District as the research sites to explore the role of IQMS in teacher professional development. The results from the participants indicate that IQMS is effective but only if a numbers of issues can be considered. Participants highlighted issues like, if every teacher can be trained, and there could be quality training with competitive facilitators, also, if there could be a conducive culture and the climate of the school then that could impact positively on teacher development.
3
Schluntz, Michele. "Developing Collective Teacher Efficacy through Job-embedded Professional Development in Elementary Teachers." Thesis, Northern Illinois University, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10829679.
Full textAbstract:
<p>ABSTRACT
DEVELOPING COLLECTIVE TEACHER EFFICACY THROUGH
JOB-EMBEDDED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN ELEMENTARY TEACHERS
Michele Schluntz, Ed.D.
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Northern Illinois University, 2018
Elizabeth Wilkins, Director
The purpose of this mixed-method study was to explore the outcomes of a Job-Embedded Professional Development (JEPD) approach on Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE). Teachers volunteered to participate in one of three literacy teams designed for the study. At the opening of the study, teachers completed the Collective Teacher Efficacy Belief Scale (CTEBS) to determine the level of CTE present prior to engaging in the JEPD sessions. During the three JEPD sessions, teachers engaged in meaningful conversations about situated problems of practice and potential changes to address such concerns. At the conclusion of each JEPD session, teachers completed individual reflection journals documenting their experiences. Upon completion of the final JEPD session, teachers again completed the CTEBS. The study concluded with the completion of one-on-one interviews to provide a deeper understanding to the responses provided through the individual reflection journals.
Three major findings were identified in this study. First, it was concluded that a JEPD approach to the professional development of teachers may play a role in influencing CTE. Second, this study supported the Social Cognitive Theory framework of human agency and Triadic Reciprocal Causation. And third, meaningful conversations about situated learning in authentic problems of practice contributed to the development of CTE.
As a result of these findings, this study supports a sociocultural approach to the professional development of teachers. Embedded in Vygotsky?s (1978) Socio-cultural Theory, there are five principles that encompass a sociocultural approach to teacher professional development. Teachers in this study experience four out of the five: teacher agency, situational appropriate, dialogical practice, and systemic in view. Utilizing these findings, recommendations for professional development and future research are also discussed.
4
Bush, Nicole Lea. "The evolution of a professional learning community in a professional development school." Ashland University / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ashland1458523042.
Full text
5
Hughes, John Anthony, University of Western Sydney, of Arts Education and Social Sciences College, and School of Social Ecology and Lifelong Learning. "Teacher professional development in performing and literary arts education." THESIS_CAESS_SELL_Hughes_J.xml, 2002. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/393.
Full textAbstract:
The articles in this portfolio provide an account of research, which for the purposes of this thesis is divided into two broad categories: teacher professional development, and the support of teacher education in literary and performing arts pedagogy. Within this context three issues are addressed. The study can be categorised under research into teacher professional education.Action research and reflective practitioner research methodology were adopted, as this schema is recognised as being highly appropriate to preservice and inservice development of teachers, and to the improvement of teaching approaches and skills especially in the development of new methods of learning.The research has its theoretical foundations in interactive, child-centred theories of education, performance semiotics and psycholinguistic theories of reading. It is also committed to enabling teachers and students to engage creatively and interpretively in the comprehension of artistic texts and the performing arts.<br>Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
6
Smith, Saress Ellerbe. "The use of micro-blogging for teacher professional development support and personalized professional development." Thesis, Pepperdine University, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10141721.
Full textAbstract:
<p> The purpose of this qualitative study was to look at how teachers use micro-blogging, in this case Twitter (www.twitter.com), for their own personalized professional learning and how effective Twitter is as a professional development (PD) tool. In order to measure the effectiveness of the tool, the researcher first gleaned nine essential characteristics of effective PD from the literature. This list was validated by experts in the PD community. The significance of this study was to reveal how participants actually used Twitter for PD, what their perspectives on the tool were, and how effective their experiences were with Twitter as a PD tool. Results of this study can be used to improve current practice, and provide a low cost, accessible, and available mechanism to foster an on-going, learner-centered, approach to PD, thus allowing teachers to become more involved in their own professional growth. For the 4 participants in this study, Twitter use for PD and its effectiveness varied greatly. The effectiveness of the tool depended on the participant’s fluency with the technology and attitude towards social media. For the most fluent participant, Twitter met most of the requirements for effectiveness; however, Twitter use did not automatically provide a mechanism for reflection or self-assessment; nor did Twitter use provide an evaluation of the experience, both requirements of effective PD. With added evaluation and self-assessment processes, and with a fluent practitioner, Twitter does have the potential to be a very effective PD tool with its low cost, accessibility, and availability.</p>
7
Pendergraft, Elizabeth Murray. "Teacher Inquiry in a Professional Development School Environment." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2008. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/msit_diss/26.
Full text
8
Feffer, James F. "Teacher Learning Within Professional Learning Communities." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/166.
Full textAbstract:
Professional Learning Community (PLC) structures require focused sessions of teacher collaboration as part of developing effective instructional practices leading to improved student performance outcomes. The PLC structured collaboration model has been implemented in schools across the country, however the current body of research regarding PLC structures has been focused on student performance and rather than the teacher learning processes that occur within the model. Teachers must learn throughout the PLC model, as they collaborate, plan instruction, create assessments, analyze data, and adjust implementation to improve results.
A mixed-methods approach was used to explore correlations between PLC structure ratings and teacher self-identified learning preferences, with Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Theory as the basis for determining learning preferences. The study included 115 elementary teacher participants from a school district that has prioritized PLC structures for nearly 10 years. Significant correlations were identified between PLC structural elements and teacher learning preferences, with qualitative results providing additional descriptive analysis regarding teacher perceptions of their learning within PLCs. The findings within this study indicate that teacher learning preferences may be a key consideration for school site administrators as part of PLC team construction and development.
9
Ford, Theresa M. "Energy education professional development : assessment of teacher satisfaction /." Link to full text, 2009. http://epapers.uwsp.edu/thesis/2009/Ford.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stevens Point, 2009.<br>Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Natural Resources (Environmental Education & Interpretation), College of Natural Resources. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-84).
10
McCollum, Irish Phaletta. "Beginning Teachers' Perceptions of a Teacher Mentoring Program." ScholarWorks, 2014. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/152.
Full textAbstract:
The decline in teacher retention is a growing problem in the 21st century. Beginning teacher turnover rates have grown by 50% over the past decade, with the national rate increasing to over 20%. Beginning teachers entering the profession are leaving within their first 3 years, with half leaving the profession in the first 5 years. To meet their growing needs, districts and states spend billions of dollars to recruit, hire, and try to retain new teachers. The purpose of this case study was to examine beginning teachers' perceptions of their teacher mentoring program located in an urban school district. Bandura's social cognitive theory, socio-cultural theory, and Knowles's adult learning theory were used to frame this investigation. The research questions examined the extent to which beginning teachers perceived their current mentoring program's strengths and weaknesses, the mentoring strategies used, and the improvements that could be made to the program. Interview data and transcripts from 10 beginning teachers were examined through coding that established common themes among teacher perceptions. The results revealed the importance of having a mentor and the need for more structure, more collaboration, and more support in the program. The findings from this study were used to create a 3-day workshop that includes the identified themes. Implications for positive social change include strengthening mentoring programs through professional development with more attention to structure, collaboration, and support to help transition beginning teachers into the teaching profession so that they remain.
11
Yates, Sigrid S. "The SMART Goal Framework| Teacher Perceptions of Professional Learning and Teacher Practice." Thesis, Northcentral University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3617582.
Full textAbstract:
<p> Most states require that schools engage in school improvement programs to meet accountability mandates which necessitates that teachers develop the skills necessary to accomplish school improvement efforts. The problem is that classroom practitioners lack the skills necessary to achieve effective school improvement. Limited research exists with respect to professional development activities and teacher perceptions toward professional learning experiences. Teacher perceptions of their professional development experiences affect classroom instruction and student learning. The SMART Goal Framework (SGF) has been developed as a school improvement model designed to provide teachers with the skills necessary to build leadership capacity through focus, reflection, and collaboration. This qualitative, single site case study examined teacher perceptions with the SGF to understand how the skills learned affected teacher behavior and student learning, built collegiality with peers and school leaders, and built leadership capacity within the school. Individual interviews, written responses, and a focus group interview were conducted with 10 teachers who were trained and implemented the SGF over a 5-year period in a rural East Texas school district. Using case study analysis, data were triangulated and three themes emerged relative to the skills learned from the SGF training: intentional instruction, collegiality and collaboration, and leadership and leadership capacity. Results of the study indicated that: 1) teachers were empowered to make instructional decisions which increased teacher efficacy and student learning; 2) collegial relationships allowed teachers and administrators to work collaboratively to solve instructional problems; and 3) teachers could articulate the traits of leadership capacity, but they were unable to articulate a conceptual understanding of leadership capacity. Teachers identified campus leadership as the key to successful SGF implementation. Teachers perceived three barriers that hindered campus implementation: failure to train non-core content teachers, new employee training, and campus leadership. Recommendations included: 1) developing an induction program for new employees; 2) developing a training plan for non-core content teachers; and 3) discussing the findings with district administration regarding leadership capacity. Recommendations for future research included: 1) conducting a study on the effect of the resistance of school leaders to engage in professional development activities to further school improvement efforts; 2) conducting additional studies on practitioners' perceptions and attitudes of professional learning experiences to add to the existing limited research in this area; and 3) conducting additional studies on practitioners' perceptions of professional learning experiences with other initiatives in the current district.</p>
12
Sanders, Sandra L. "Teacher Attitudes Toward the Professional Evaluation Process." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 1995. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2785.
Full textAbstract:
This study identified teacher attitudes toward the professional evaluation process as preparation for moving from the current traditional process toward a more authentic process. The descriptive study utilized survey methodology. The Teacher Evaluation Survey, developed by the researcher, was administered along with a demographic data sheet to a stratified random sample of 475 public school teachers in the Sullivan County Tennessee school system. A 60% return rate was obtained. Analysis of the data, collected to answer the five research questions and ten hypotheses, revealed the following: Teachers feel that the current evaluation process closely resembles a competency-based process and that the ideal process is more authentic in nature. Significant differences in teachers' attitudes toward the two processes were noted for all survey items except one. Teachers did not agree with using student test scores as a source of data for evaluation in either process. Recommendations were made to alter the current process to include a portfolio. Additionally, a rubric for evaluating the portfolio would need to be developed for the system. Practical examples of portfolios should be presented to administrators and teachers as models. School Administrators as well as teachers should participate in professional development to help them learn methods and advantages of personal reflection as it relates to professional growth. Establishment of an ongoing dialogue between school leaders and teachers was recommended to foster a more professional atmosphere and to attempt to make evaluation a process that continually grows and changes along with those whom it evaluates.
13
Watkins, Amy L. "Facilitating Sustainable Professional Development Programs| A Phenomenological Study of the Use of Online Professional Development." Thesis, Manhattanville College, 2019. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13865370.
Full textAbstract:
<p> This study focused on the motivation of K-12 teachers to participate in district online professional development and to sustain the knowledge or skills learned. This study identified how teachers in a suburban school district, located in the Hudson Valley region of New York state, evaluated the online professional development they received and the extent to which their learning continued beyond the initial training. Through a phenomenological study, data indicated several factors motivated teachers to participate in online professional development; the primary motivator was the relevance of the topic. The online survey and interviews indicated teachers were interested and willing to participate in online professional development when they could choose the topic and the setting in which the learning takes place. An additional motivator was the benefit of collaboration and support provided by the facilitator, both during and after the training. Teachers shared their ability to make connections and to reflect on their own experiences increased when they had the opportunity to work collaboratively with the facilitator to develop and implement a lesson using the new knowledge or skill. Teachers who identified taking relevant district online professional development with collaborative facilitators also reported specific examples of how they implemented skills in their classrooms. Teachers described how the district online professional development helped to improve their students’ learning.</p><p>
14
Jones, Gail, Grant E. Gardner, Laura Robertson, and Sarah Robert. "Science Professional Learning Communities: Beyond a Singular View of Teacher Professional Development." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2013. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/764.
Full textAbstract:
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are frequently being used as a vehicle to transform science education. This study explored elementary teachers' perceptions about the impact of participating in a science PLC on their own professional development. With the use of The Science Professional Learning Communities Survey and a semi-structured interview protocol, elementary teachers' perceptions of the goals of science PLCs, the constraints and benefits of participation in PLCs, and reported differences in the impact of PLC participation on novice and experienced teachers were examined. Sixty-five elementary teachers who participated in a science PLC were surveyed about their experiences, and a subsample of 16 teachers was interviewed. Results showed that most of the teachers reported their science PLC emphasized sharing ideas with other teachers as well as working to improve students' science standardized test scores. Teachers noted that the PLCs had impacted their science assessment practices as well as their lesson planning. However, a majority of the participants reported a differential impact of PLCs depending on a teacher's level of experience. PLCs were reported as being more beneficial to new teachers than experienced teachers. The interview results demonstrated that there were often competing goals and in some cases a loss of autonomy in planning science lessons. A significant concern was the impact of problematic interpersonal relationships and communication styles on the group functioning. The role of the PLC in addressing issues related to obtaining science resources and enhancing science content knowledge for elementary science teachers is discussed.
15
Parson, Demita Sidonia. "School Bullying and Teacher Professional Development." ScholarWorks, 2015. http://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1709.
Full textAbstract:
Bullying has become a serious concern in many American public middle schools in recent years. Inadequate professional development (PD) in bullying prevention and response strategies has compounded this problem. The overarching purpose of this study was to increase understanding of the growing problem of school bullying. Bronfenbrenner's socioecological theory, which states that environment and relationships influence student behavior, served as the conceptual framework for this qualitative study. Guiding research questions, grounded in socioecological theory, were used to examine middle school teachers' views of PD and their perceived skills in responding to or preventing bullying. Through purposeful sampling, 8 middle school teachers in a community in rural Alabama were interviewed over a 3-week period. Each had at least 1 year of teaching experience in the local rural setting. To authenticate study findings, discipline referrals and state incident reports spanning the 2 previous years were assessed for teacher management of bullying. Data were analyzed using open coding to identify and categorize the patterns and themes that emerged. Results indicated that the teachers perceived that PD would give them the strategies to recognize and manage incidents of school bullying. These results supported and informed the PD project for middle school teachers. This study contributes to social change by providing professional development that will help teachers to either prevent or manage school bullying appropriately, a benefit to children and communities.
16
Graham-Johnson, Judith. "Incorporating equity dynamics in professional development| Building Educator Cultural and Professional Competency." Thesis, Fielding Graduate University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3629593.
Full textAbstract:
<p> Since the statement of then -Secretary of Education Paige on the "soft bigotry of low expectations," the necessity of holding "high expectations" appears to be generally accepted as an important factor in student achievement. Secretary Paige asserted that not all teachers hold high expectations of their students, yet the possibility of such thinking is not typically acknowledged among educators. Instead there appears to be a presumption that all teachers do hold high expectations for their students and there is no evidence that this assumption is ever questioned. The assumption that high expectations are universally held negates belief that expectations should be part of the professional conversations in which educators engage and precludes the topic from being included in the professional development programs in which school staffs are engaged. </p><p> My review of literature includes learning from the other social sciences on beliefs, cultural assumptions, and expectations. This dissertation examines the development of negative stereotypes and manifestations of those stereotypes in the educational experiences, past and present of African Americans, as representatives of those segments of the population who have historically been under-served by education. </p><p> The results of the survey conducted as part of this study indicate that expectations are rarely included in professional development programs. Additionally, the results demonstrate a lack of consistency among districts in approaching similar challenges. Finally, a model developed to increase the effectiveness of professional development is proposed.</p>
17
Brennan, Amy R. "Reconceptualizing Teacher Professional Development as Professional Learning: A Qualitative Case Study of a School-Supported Self-Directed Professional Learning Model." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1623956218485476.
Full text
18
Stewart, Carmine. "Teacher Preparation and Professional Development in Adult Literacy Education." Cleveland State University / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1357933502.
Full text
19
Sugden, Norma A. "Teacher Workload: A Formula for Maximizing Teacher Performance and Well-Being." ScholarWorks, 2010. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/563.
Full textAbstract:
Research has shown that teacher workload is intensifying and teachers are increasingly leaving the profession prior to having taught for 35 years. The purpose of this mixed method, sequential, phenomenological study was to determine (a) how workload intensification impacts teacher performance and well-being, (b) whether or not workload intensification was a primary factor in teachers’ choosing to leave the profession early, and (c) a formula for maximizing teacher performance and well-being. Apple’s workload intensification thesis was the theoretical framework for this study. Quantitative data obtained via a survey (N=484), together with qualitative data collected via four focus group sessions and individual interviews with 15 teachers who had left the profession early, were utilized to determine if there is a problem with workload intensification in this east coast Canadian province. Quantitative data were analyzed using the chi-square test to determine the relationship between the independent variable (workload intensification) and each of the two dependent variables (performance and well-being). Qualitative data were analyzed to determine emergent themes with respect to workload intensification. Findings from this study indicated that there is a significant relationship between the independent variable and each of the two dependent variables. Qualitative data substantiated the quantitative findings that indicated (a) the presence of a problem with workload intensification and (b) that workload intensification is a primary factor in teachers’ choosing to leave the profession early. Recommendations include having administrators address identified current teacher workload issues. Positive social change may result if administrators utilize the derived formula for maximizing teacher performance and well-being when assigning teaching and nonteaching duties to teachers.
20
Soderquist, Geraldine Lee. "Teacher professional development in technology integration." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2003. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2402.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this project was to design, create, and produce a web site for teachers that instructs them on the creating, developing and sharing of Web Quests. Web Quests utilize the wealth of information on the internet to provide a means of moving the teacher away from lecturer and toward facilitator.
21
Webster, Susan. "Professional pathways for teacher educators in further education practice : a framework to support professional learning." Thesis, University of Plymouth, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/13073.
Full textAbstract:
This project evaluates a proposed framework designed to support professional learning for teacher educators, focusing on Post Compulsory Education & Training, and particularly practices in Further Education. The intention of the framework is to enhance practice and promote professional recognition for people who support others in becoming or developing as teachers: teacher educators. The project proposal is that this can be achieved through engagement with processes of professional learning (Timperley, 2011) in the form of professional pathways, defined here as professional and individual learning journeys supported by principles and research-based recommendations within a recognised framework of underpinning factors. The theoretical framework for the project is interpretative, based on transformative learning (Cranton, 1994, 2002; ; Mezirow, 1997) with a constructivist epistemology and reflexive ontology (Door, 2014). It builds on previous research (Exley & Ovenden-Hope, 2013) using new data to develop initial ideas through a methodology of creative praxis, representing practices and approaches where reflexive, innovative thinking and impact on the world are equally important. The intention is to arrive at a robust, flexible and well-considered framework designed to support the professional formation and development of prospective, new or experienced teacher educators practicing in the Further Education sector.
22
Pace, Charyl L. "The experiences of alternately certified teachers with teacher mentoring, teacher effectiveness, and student achievement." ScholarWorks, 2010. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/821.
Full textAbstract:
Alternately certified teachers (ACTs) are teachers who receive teacher training in an accelerated program provided by alternate certification programs (ACPs). Induction/mentoring programs are provided to ACTs as a source of additional training. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine ACTs' perceptions of their effectiveness as teachers in relation to their students' achievement and the support provided to them as new teachers by their induction/mentoring training. The research question explored if there was a relationship between the amount of support provided to the ACTs from their induction/mentoring programs and the ACTs' perception of their effectiveness in relation to student achievement. The primary data sources consisted of journal data and semistructured interviews from 2 ACTs. Open, axial, and selective coding strategies were used as one component of the data analysis. Conventional content analysis was used to explore the perceptions of the 2 ACTs interviewed. Analysis revealed that ability to manage a classroom and the support provided by induction/mentoring programs may influence the ACTs' perceptions of effectiveness in terms of student achievement. Results also suggested that ACTs' induction/mentoring programs did not successfully facilitate a transition into the teaching profession. The results from this study can be used by mentoring/induction program directors, and school administrators to inform policy and curricular modifications to induction/mentoring programs that would optimize ACTs' perceptions of their effectiveness as teachers and student achievement. The use of these data may contribute to social change by providing the ACT with an improved support system during the ACTs' first year in the classroom.
23
DiBiase, Deborah. "Formative Assessment Professional Development| Impact on Teacher Practice." Thesis, Johnson & Wales University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3621976.
Full textAbstract:
<p> With increasing demands on student achievement as set forth by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (2001), teachers are the catalyst for improving their students' performance (Marzano, 2000). Existing studies on the use of formative assessment as a process by which teachers elicit information of their students' progress and use that information to inform their instruction have shown promising results in student achievement gains (Wiliam & Thompson, 2007). Extensive teacher professional development is needed, however, to instill a change in teacher practice needed to successfully employ formative assessment resulting in improved student achievement (Trumbull & Lash, 2013; Wiley & Heritage, 2010).</p><p> The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between <i> Linking Learning and Assessment</i> professional development (including online training modules and communities of practice) as well as other forms of professional development on formative assessment and resulting self-perceived teacher practice, and what aspects of the professional development teachers found meaningful in improving their practice.</p><p> This study utilized a mixed-methods design. A questionnaire was administered to middle level educators (<i>N</i>=82) throughout the state followed by a focus group interview (<i>N</i>=5). Quantitative data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics, correlations, Anova, and <i>t</i>-tests. Qualitative data were obtained through open-ended questions and the focus group. Content analysis was conducted to analyze the qualitative data obtained through the focus group interview and the open-ended questions on the questionnaire. </p><p> A major finding of this study is that most teachers are in the early stages of implementing the formative assessment process and have begun to realize the power of formative assessment. Those who have had ongoing and intensive training have begun to see meaningful changes in their practice. Professional development found to be most meaningful to teachers includes: collaboration, active learning opportunities and coherence. In addition, teachers expressed the need for professional development to be differentiated to meet their individual needs.</p><p> The results of this study may serve to inform teachers, administrators, districts and state departments of education when developing and implementing professional development in general as well as professional development on formative assessment.</p>
24
Fox, Candace K. "Teacher efficacy, professional development, professional practices, and critical science-based FCS curriculum implementation /." The Ohio State University, 2001. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1486400446374203.
Full text
25
Burgess, Patricia L. "Formation of Professional Identity: Elementary Teachers Who Transition to University-Based Teacher Education." Scholarly Commons, 2018. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/3111.
Full textAbstract:
This qualitative study inquired into the ways university-based teacher educators who taught in elementary grades had come to understand and describe their professional identity within the context of higher education. Additionally, the study explored their personal motives in becoming a teacher educator and the challenges and received support as they transitioned into higher education. Further, it investigated how their previous teaching experiences and identity were relevant to their new roles and identity as university-based teacher educators, and how they have come to understand their beliefs about teaching and learning within the context of higher education.
This study followed a qualitative, narrative research design which explored the beginning experiences of four teacher educators who contributed data through standardized open-ended interviews and focused journal entries. As the respondents transitioned from their K-12 experiences into doctoral studies and teaching at the university, they were impacted by opportunities, challenges, support, and a shifting identity, the major themes of this study. The respondents used their teaching experiences, teaching philosophy, and aspects of their K-12 pedagogical practices to navigate their new roles and responsibilities as teacher educator.
The results of the study’s analysis demonstrated the importance of providing more explicit training and mentoring for new university-based teacher educators in order to gain a deeper understanding of their roles and responsibilities in higher education. With that added layer of support, they would have more opportunity to acclimate and develop professionally within the university context.
26
Takayama, Hiromi. "Professional development in Japanese non-native English speaking teachers' identity and efficacy." Diss., University of Iowa, 2015. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/5655.
Full textAbstract:
This mixed methods study investigates how Japanese non-native English speaking teachers’ (NNESTs) efficacy and identity are developed and differentiated from those of native English speaking teachers (NESTs). To explore NNESTs’ efficacy, this study focuses on the contributing factors, such as student engagement, classroom management, instructional strategies, self-perceived English proficiency, their teaching and teacher education backgrounds, culture related to teaching, and so on. For the portion of teacher identity, this study analyzes four perspectives: their role identity, professional identity, teacher education and professional development, English proficiency. After the data were collected from Japanese NNESTs, they were compared and contrasted with their NESTs’ counterparts. The primary goal of this study is to identify the characteristics of Japanese NNESTs’ efficacy and identity and investigate how their individual, educational, cultural, and other social factors influence their efficacy and identity development.
Forty six (46) Japanese NNESTs and one hundred and two (102) NESTs who were teaching in the junior high, high school, and college levels in Japan participated in a survey. Five Japanese NNESTs and six NESTs from the three types of grade levels were interviewed. Data analysis procedures comprised a statistical analysis of the survey data and a theme analysis of the interview data, and both data sets were integrated to discover the mixed method findings.
There were several major findings from this research. First, there was a positive correlation between Japanese NNESTs’ efficacy, particularly efficacy for instructional strategies, and self-perceived English proficiency. Therefore, higher English proficiency can be a predictor of a higher level of overall teacher efficacy and efficacy for instructional strategies. Second, although Japanese NNESTs’ efficacy for student engagement was lower than efficacy for classroom management and instructional strategies, they demonstrated various strategies for increasing their students’ motivation. Third, their Japanese use in instruction influenced their teacher identity, and being a language model and a behavioral role model was reflected on their Japanese NNESTs’ identity. Finally, college NESTs showed significantly higher teacher efficacy compared to different groups. Both Japanese NNESTs and NESTs’ efficacy and identity were formed by their previous teaching experiences, various roles as teachers, perceptions of Japanese educational system, culture, and students. The conclusion includes suggestions and implications for administrators, teacher educators, and Japanese NNESTs.
27
Hughes, John Anthony Bell John. "Teacher professional development in performing and literary arts education /." View thesis View thesis, 2002. http://library.uws.edu.au/adt-NUWS/public/adt-NUWS20030407.120141/index.html.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ed.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, 2002.<br>"A portfolio submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Education from University of Western Sydney, Nepean" Bibliography : leaves xii-xv.
28
Bonavitacola, Alexis C. "Teachers' perceptions of the impact of the McREL Teacher evaluation System on professional growth." Thesis, Capella University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3623266.
Full textAbstract:
<p> The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate teachers' perceptions about the impact of the McREL Teacher Evaluation System on their professional growth. The sample comprised 15 teachers of students in Kindergarten to Grade 4 in a suburban New Jersey school district who participated in Year 1 implementation of a new standards-based teacher evaluation model. Participants were asked to explore the professional teaching standards in the McREL Teacher Evaluation System. The conceptual framework included adult learning, critical thinking, and reflective practice. The themes that emerged defined a new teacher-driven interpretation of leadership and a collective responsibility to a shared vision of student learning. The study highlighted the expectations of meeting the learning needs of a more diverse population of students; applying content knowledge, specifically the Common Core State Standards; facilitating learning through various instructional strategies and modalities that cultivated critical thinking with colleagues and contemporary students; and engaging in reflection of teacher practice as a significant catalyst for growth. The study also emphasized the need for strategic systems of strong organizational support as essential to a successful implementation process.</p>
29
Hockaday, Lisa Marie. "Teacher Perceptions of their Common Core Professional Development." Thesis, Piedmont College, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3729969.
Full textAbstract:
<p> Over several decades, school reform efforts have been mounted in order to improve student learning and to prepare students for a global community. In 2010, governors from the fifty states met and supported the establishment of national standards, the Common Core State Standards, to prepare students for college and careers. Georgia adopted the Common Core State Standards, and as with any new curriculum adoption, professional development is usually provided. During the 2011–2012 school year, school systems across Georgia provided various professional development opportunities for teachers to learn about the Common Core State Standards. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ perceptions of their Common Core professional development and utilized a survey consisting of multiple choice and open-ended questions. Three hundred seventy-two educators from sixteen school districts across the state of Georgia participated in this study. Three main themes emerged: Teachers prefer working in smaller, collaborative groups in professional development; teachers were satisfied with their school and school district’s training but did not receive consistent follow-up, modeling, or coaching afterwards; teachers utilized websites developed to support the Common Core State Standards and relied on their colleagues in order to learn more about the curriculum and to implement the standards.</p>
30
Wong, Janny Yuen Ki. "A study of the professional growth needs of teachers holding professional clear teaching credentials in California." Scholarly Commons, 1994. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2804.
Full textAbstract:
The purposes of this study were to investigate the professional growth needs of teachers in California and to assess their need satisfaction, with additional reference made to their perceptions of the Professional Growth Plan(s). Twenty-five professional opportunities were listed in the professional growth needs assessment survey instrument created by the researcher, and the subjects under study were asked to identify their needs and to evaluate their need satisfaction in relation to these professional opportunities. The population selected for this study was the Professional Clear Multiple Subject Teaching Credential holders prepared by the Gladys L. Benerd School of Education at the University of the Pacific between 1985 and 1991. The data collected from the survey instrument and telephone interviews were used to determine the extent to which the subjects' identified professional growth needs were met, and to examine whether California's mandated requirements for professional growth were perceived as being able to facilitate the subjects' need satisfaction. The findings of this study suggest that there is no universal growth path that addresses teachers' professional needs. For a better understanding of their needs, continuous needs assessments should be conducted. In order to maximize teachers' commitment to professional growth, the system should strive to remove obstacles, build in support, and extend growth opportunities. A growth-oriented system seems to hold a greater promise of success for teachers' professional growth than does an accountability system.
31
Koty, Suzanne T. "Developing Teacher Leaders Through Professional Development Offered in a District Teacher Forum." ScholarWorks, 2020. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7879.
Full textAbstract:
Teacher attrition is an ongoing problem in education, and the lack of leadership opportunities contribute to that problem. Teachers who serve in leadership roles are more likely to remain in the profession and positively impact students and the profession as a whole. However, there is little qualitative research to address how teachers develop the needed leadership skills to take on additional leadership roles. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experiences of participants in a District Teacher Forum. The District Teacher Forum is a cohort of teachers identified as Campus Teachers of the Year led by the District Teacher of the Year with the intended purpose of helping the members to develop leadership skills. The conceptual framework that guided this study was a congruence of the social cognitive theory, constructivist theory, and perceived organizational support. The study aimed to examine the experience of teachers participating in a teacher leadership development program. Interviews of 6 Forum members selected through maximum variation sampling and a focus group provided the needed information, and findings were analyzed in relation to the research questions. This study provided insight into how teachers perceive their experiences in a teacher leadership development program as a foundation for future professional development processes to develop teacher leadership. Findings showed that teachers who are provided the opportunity to participate in professional development related to leadership in a cohort setting gain a self-identity as a teacher leader and want to serve as teacher leaders. Implications for social change include a guide for other districts to use to establish a Forum or other leadership initiative and potentially greater teacher retention.
32
Edwards, Tracy R. "Examining the impact of online professional development on teacher practice." Thesis, Pepperdine University, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3721802.
Full textAbstract:
<p>The purpose of the research was to explore the experiences of a group of 3 ELA teachers as they participated in online professional development using a social learning network. Utilizing case study methodology, the researcher examined how an online social learning network could be used to impact instructional practices amongst ELA teachers participating in hybrid professional development during implementation of a writing curriculum. Employing social constructivism as the dominant framework for analysis, the researcher explored the extent to which professional development delivered online combined with face-to-face supports impacted teacher instructional practices in the classroom. </p><p> The researcher examined teachers’ actual online behaviors by using data captured by the online social network and compared this to teachers’ self reports of impact and use, concluding that online professional development, delivered through a social learning network was effective in impacting teachers’ classroom instruction. </p><p> Findings indicate that in order to be effective, professional learning should emphasize the learning of content and pedagogy and how technology can enhance instructional practices. Features of the online social learning network utilized more frequently were those that enhanced teachers’ goals around writing instruction. The online social learning network was also found to include several aspects of Community of Practice, resulting in the sustained use and integration of the online social learning network for instructional purposes. Factors such as convenience, flexibility and ubiquitous access to resources and peers were cited as benefits to participating in hybrid professional development models. </p>
33
Jasso, Laura K. "Teacher Perceptions of Effective Instructional Coaching in Professional Development Support." Thesis, Concordia University Irvine, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10976245.
Full textAbstract:
<p> Many school districts are utilizing instructional coaches to support teachers as they implement their professional learning in the classroom. This study examined teachers’ perceptions of effective instructional coaching practices to gain insight about which aspects of instructional coaching teachers find most supportive in implementing change in the classroom. Adult learning theory, andragogy, was used as the theoretical framework guiding this study. Survey data from the Perceptions of Coaching Survey (PCS) was collected from 116 teachers across six states. These teachers were engaged in professional development on supporting English learners and were receiving follow-up coaching support from their district. Five participants were interviewed to further investigate teachers’ perceptions of coaching practices. Two maintained a month-long journal to reflect on any coaching interactions that occurred. The findings of this study revealed that teachers perceive coaching to have a positive impact in supporting the implementation of change in the classroom, and a primary theme emerged that coaching aims to improve instruction. The aspects of coaching that teachers were most satisfied with focused on implementing classroom strategies including having a coach modeling strategies in the classroom, being observed and receiving feedback from a coach, and watching fellow colleagues teaching the same things. Teachers also identified desirable qualities of coaches, including knowledge, trustworthiness, confidence, positivity, and flexibility from a supportive and consistent, non-administrative presence in the classroom. Teachers reported that what they learn from coaching applies to their current teaching situation and that coaching motivates them to try new things in the classroom. </p><p>
34
Brown, Julie Miller. "Professional Development| The Teacher's Perspective." Thesis, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3572656.
Full textAbstract:
<p>The purpose of this study was to explore teacher experiences, attitudes, feelings, and beliefs regarding professional development in order to plan professional development in the future. Eighteen teachers, the elementary school improvement coordinator, and elementary principal were interviewed or participated in a focus group, in a semi-structured environment using a set of questions to gather data. Financial records for professional development expenditures, teacher credentials, agendas from professional development activities, school calendars, and grants were reviewed to get a better understanding of past professional development in the district. This research indicates that teachers: (a) are unsure whether professional development improves teacher quality and/or student achievement (b) have had a lot of diverse professional development experiences; (c) like professional development that is interactive, easily implemented, and applicable; (d) feel more time needs to be allocated for professional development; (e) do not feel they are involved in the planning process of professional development; and, (f) that there's a lack accountability, sustainability, and focus related to professional development. Implications can be generalized for all teachers, but more specifically, from this research for this individual district. </p>
35
Ma, Qiuru. "Professional conscience and teacher change : an investigation into Chinese teacher professionalism." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2017. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44993/.
Full textAbstract:
This qualitative research studies a group of sixteen Chinese high school teachers to explore Chinese teachers’ perceptions of professionalism as well as changes in teaching. These teachers were all graduates from Master of Education (Ed.M.) programme in a Chinese university. They differed in many aspects including teaching experiences, schools they were working for, personal histories. These teachers’ work and lives were analysed based on data generated from three rounds of semi-structured interviews. Themes emerging from the interviews suggested that it was Chinese teachers’ professional conscience that had mostly affected their sense of professionalism, and there were changes both in teachers’ perceptions and actions in teaching after their graduation from Ed.M. This research contributes to a better understanding on Chinese teachers’ professional lives by identifying professional conscience as the core of Chinese teacher professionalism. The meanings of professional conscience suggest that Chinese teachers’ perceptions of professionalism share similarities to that of teachers’ in the West. The fluctuations of professional conscience through teachers’ lives has challenged stereotypes of teachers in the Chinese society.
36
Campbell, Deborah M. "Case Study: Entry-year elementary teachers' perceptions of their professional development." [Kent, Ohio] : Kent State University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=kent1227047465.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Kent State University, 2008.<br>Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Jan. 4, 2010). Advisor: Richard Ambrose. Keywords: entry-year teachers, professional development, teacher perception. Includes bibliographical references (p. 226-242).
37
Nochumson, Talia Clare. "An Investigation of Elementary Schoolteachers' Use of Twitter for Their Professional Learning." Thesis, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10743437.
Full textAbstract:
<p> This mixed methods study explored how elementary school teachers who use Twitter extensively use it to support their professional learning and development. Four research questions guided this study: 1. How are teachers using Twitter for their professional learning and development? 2. What do teachers report learning from their use of Twitter? 3. What do teachers say they do with the information they have learned from using Twitter? 4. What support do teachers have when they want to implement what they have learned from Twitter? </p><p> An online survey was distributed via Twitter targeting teachers of elementary grades. A total of 107 participants were included in the final sample. Interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 19 teachers. Document analysis of tweets from a subsample of interviewees and from a sample of tweets from the #2ndchat Twitter community served as triangulation. </p><p> The key findings from this sample illustrated several ways teachers learn from Twitter. In response to the research questions, teachers reported using Twitter as a source of motivation and support, explaining that it provided them with feedback, encouragement and peer accountability. Second, teachers reported learning about many topics, especially technology integration techniques. Third, teachers described using the information they learned to alter some of their teaching practices and to pursue other educational opportunities. Lastly, more than half of teachers reported having administrators who supported their efforts to implement Twitter-based ideas. In addition, teachers appreciated certain affordances of Twitter including immediacy, choice, and access to other educators. </p><p> These findings have several implications for teachers, school leaders, and policymakers. Teachers reported that they believed they were getting trustworthy information from highly reputable Twitter users. However, it would be important for them to critically review the information and ensure its alignment with evidence-based teaching practices for how students learn. Further, teachers’ responses seemed to indicate that they want input and control over their learning, which has important implications for traditional professional development offerings. As Twitter continues to expand and gain acceptance as a source of learning for teachers, considerations for its use as a 21<sup>st</sup> century tool must be taken into account.</p><p>
38
Hooks, Laura Sebastian. "Towards More Effective Teacher Professional Development Initiatives." ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1586.
Full textAbstract:
The No Child Left Behind Act (2002) and Race to the Top (2009) legislation have forged new school accountability measures and led to a sharp increase in demand for teacher professional development (TPD). However, data revealed that there is a disconnection between the training that teachers receive and its implementation, limiting its impact on student achievement. This qualitative case study's purpose was to reveal major barriers to TPD implementation and provide suggestions for crafting more impactful TPD. Based on the social constructivist foundation, this study sought to address the factors that increase teachers' receptiveness to more effective teaching techniques. It explored middle school teachers' perceptions of TPD, its connection to student achievement, and factors influencing implementation. Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions helped to identify emergent themes. Nine participants were purposefully selected to gather data from perspectives across race, gender, and various teaching experiences. This study took an inductive approach using the constant comparison methodology of data analysis. Participants identified influencing factors regarding TPD, such as the inclusion of a follow-up component for accountability and feedback. Also, the participants insisted that TPD must be seen as non-punitive, relevant, engaging, and non-hypocritical; for example, a lecture cannot teach teachers about the ineffectiveness of teaching via lecture. These findings encourage positive social change by providing insight into crafting more impactful TPD. Ultimately, improved TPD encourages better teaching methodologies, increased teacher morale, and higher student achievement.
39
Olson, Amy Michelle. "Teacher Education Students: Their Experience of Mathematics Anxiety, Self-Efficacy, and Teacher Professional Development." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/319880.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation adds to the teacher education literature by exploring the experiences education students have of mathematics anxiety and self-efficacy for teaching and learning mathematics. Further, the utility of a specific in-service teacher professional development project, focused on improving rational number instruction, in pre-service education is evaluated, and the potential impact of professional development experiences on the anxieties and efficacy beliefs of students before they enter the teaching profession is explored. This study provides evidence of the predictive capacities of teacher efficacy models that incorporate student experiences and feelings of anxiety to better understand task choice. For example, findings indicate that self-efficacy for teaching mediates the relationship between mathematics teaching anxiety, experience, and mathematics subject area preference for teacher education students. Further, there are indications of the potential for teacher education coursework and in-service teacher professional development to decrease students' experience of mathematics teaching anxiety. Finally, evidence is provided that teacher professional development is not only perceived as useful to teacher educations students, but has potential as an intervention for teacher efficacy and anxiety for teaching. Given these findings, it makes sense to further evaluate the ways in which the strengths of pre-service coursework and in-service professional development can be leveraged to best prepare future teachers for their professional roles. Further research is also needed to longitudinally track experiences of anxiety and self-efficacy as students leave teacher education and enter the classroom as professionals.
40
Trevallion, Deborah Lee. "A Case Study Analysis of Preservice Technology Education Students’ Professional Identity Transition." Thesis, Griffith University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/365952.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis investigates the factors that shape the professional identity of preservice Technology Education (TE) students who are transitioning from trade and technical workplaces to university in order to become secondary TE teachers. During the period that this research was undertaken, TE underwent major curriculum changes and this succession of curriculum change generated high levels of tension and confusion in TE (Seemann, 2003), resulting in a change in identity for secondary TE teachers (Harfield, 2014; Williams, 2012) and a resistance to further TE curriculum changes (Howard & Mozejko, 2015). As such, the challenges associated with professional identity development must be addressed to enable the effective transition of a preservice TE student to a TE teacher. This study focuses on the professional identity changes required to support the modifications to the TE curriculum and seeks to identify a way to promote professional identity transition.
This study utilises six case studies. The data was collected during the first semester of preservice teachers study in a TE Foundation course. The data was collected through entry folios that were compiled to gain entry into the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme, entry and exit concept maps, and observation of authentic activity, online reflective journaling, and semi-formal interviews. The use of multiple case studies allowed both micro and macro data analysis to discern similarities and differences in the results across all participants involved (Creswell, 2009). A comprehensive cross-case analysis enabled an in-depth comparison to be conducted.<br>Thesis (Professional Doctorate)<br>Doctor of Education (EdD)<br>School of Education and Professional Studies<br>Arts, Education and Law<br>Full Text
41
Gibson, Flavia. "Nutrition Education and the Elementary Classroom Teacher." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/195876.
Full textAbstract:
Inactive lifestyles and poor eating habits are the main culprits of the present increase in childhood obesity, diabetes, heart problems, and cancer. In order to counterbalance this deterioration of children's health, it is imperative that children are educated about good nutritional practices. Unfortunately, parents are not always well-informed about nutrition themselves, leaving teachers to be the necessary link between children and good nutrition.This study investigates what teachers understand about nutrition concepts, as this knowledge would be the necessary precursor to aiding students toward better health. Due to the limited research on nutrition education in the elementary classroom, this study was preceded by three pilot studies that lent themselves to the advancement of the researcher's understanding of nutrition and its place in the elementary school setting. Initially three preservice teachers were interviewed in order to examine the preparation of elementary teachers for teaching nutrition.In order to assess what teachers understand about nutrition it was necessary to create an instrument that would assess teachers' nutritional knowledge. Through several trials a nutrition content survey was created and modified. The final version was administered to three hundred and seventeen teachers. While creating the nutrition content survey, the researcher also compiled a proposed list for the "big ideas" in nutrition. These statements describe the nutritional concepts that elementary students should understand. The "big ideas" were used to create lesson plans that were taught to forty-four fifth graders. These students provided insight into the content of the lessons through pre-post assessments and gave interest feedback using anonymous questionnaires.While the nature of this study was exploratory and descriptive in nature, its quantitative and qualitative data provided insight into teachers' understanding of nutritional concepts. Along with these findings were some preliminary examinations into how preservice teachers are prepared for teaching nutrition, what elementary age students understand about nutrition and what interests them, and how teachers feel about teaching nutrition. This study provides many possible avenues for future research in the area of nutrition education.
42
Bauman, Cynthia B. "Exploring the ‘Spaces Between’: Teachers’ Perceptions of Teacher Leadership within Professional Networks." Scholar Commons, 2018. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7473.
Full textAbstract:
The enactment of teacher leadership can be challenged by both policy initiatives and school contexts (Anderson & Cohen, 2015; Hargreaves & Fullan, 2012). However, teachers can have a positive influence on each other and their broader school community by building capacity for leadership, innovation, and student achievement through the relationships, or networks, they develop and maintain (Baker-Doyle, 2015; Hovardas, 2016; Hunzicker, 2012; Moolenaar, Sleegers, & Daly, 2012). This single exploratory case study takes place in a Title I elementary school and uses a combination of Social Network Analysis and content analysis to uncover patterns in teacher professional networks, the context in which they exist, and teachers’ perceptions of the influence of these networks on their sense of themselves as teacher leaders. The study focuses on four constructs: teacher leadership, teacher efficacy, instructional innovation, and professional networks. The concept of social capital is used to explore the connection between networks and teacher leadership. Symbolic interactionism frames the analysis of the nature of relationships that emerge within these networks. Findings indicate that teachers linked their identities as leaders with a culture of leadership, exchange of advice, shared values, and high expectations for themselves and their students. Interview responses demonstrated they believed in their collective capacity to accomplish a shared mission of student achievement; they trusted in and supported each other through their professional networks.
43
Davey, Ronys Lee. "Career on the Cusp:The Professional Identity of Teacher Educators." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Literacies and Arts in Education, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/4146.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis aims to take a step or two towards a theoretical model of where teacher education ‘stands’ as a social practice, a career, a discipline, and a profession. It does this through the specific lens of ‘professional identity’, a concept often referred to in the teaching and teacher education literature but one that is also often ill-defined and seldom made the empirical focus of the studies reported.
Taking as its starting point a definition of professional identity as ‘the valued professional self’, the thesis recounts the findings of a phenomenological study of the professional self-image and identities of nine preservice teacher educators from six different institutions in Aotearoa New Zealand. The research involved a grounded analysis of the transcripts of some 39 extended interviews with the teacher educators, conducted over a five-year period.
The period during which the thesis was written has been one of considerable educational change in New Zealand, and one little short of an upheaval in relation to the institutional structuring of teacher education nation-wide. During the period of the study colleges of education with a century and a half of history as independent, stand-alone and specialist institutions, have gone through a complex process of merging with their local universities, while neo-liberal reforms of all tertiary institutions have placed particular strains and constraints on the pedagogical structures and processes that are typically implemented in teacher education programmes. Being on the brink of a new era in teacher education has thus brought teacher educators’ identity - their place in the educational world and what it is that they and their field fundamentally ‘stand for’ - both into relief, and for some, into question.
The teacher educators in the study followed a path into teacher education typical in New Zealand but perhaps increasingly untypical in many other countries - from practitioner to academic - and in one sense it is an account of how they severally and collectively have come to terms with their own identities as professionals during that journey and at a time of considerable institutional turmoil. But the research also attempts to get beyond their individual stories to address broader issues of how one might best ‘get at’ a professional identity in the first place, as a matter of interview analysis and method, whether or not there are some distinctive but common elements that might distinguish the professional identity of the particular group we call teacher educators, and if there are, then what those distinctive characteristics might be.
The research studied the teacher educators’ professional identities through several related lenses or perspectives that taken together might be seen as constituting or covering the key facets of the phenomenon we call a professional identity. It interrogates their storied accounts of how and why they became teacher educators: their professional motivations, goals and career histories. It also examines through a snapshot in time what they saw as the occupational scope of their jobs and the various roles they undertook, and the relative emphasis or value priority given by individuals to each job or role. Through a third lens, it describes and theorises the particular knowledge base(s), pedagogies and professional expertise they felt they needed to do the job effectively, and what they saw as teacher educators’ distinctive ‘expertise’. Using metaphor analysis, it also explores the emotionalities associated with the various personae they found themselves ‘being’ as teacher educators - the highs and things that gave them ‘heart’, along with the tensions, incongruities and dilemmas associated with ‘being’ teacher educators. A final perspective explores their sense of collective identity as a professional community and the various other professional groups with whom they felt more, or less, collective affinity.
The thesis concludes by proposing a conceptual model of teacher educators’ professional identity as an identity that overlaps with that of teachers in schools as well as with that of academics in other fields, but which is nevertheless distinguishable from both these. In particular, it is simultaneously more multifaceted in scope than the former and more performative in nature than the latter. The study suggests that teacher educators’ professional identity may be particularly characterised by the comprehensiveness of its specialist expertise, by a strong sense of ethical commitment and other-centredness, by a conception of teacher education as the embodied enactment of its own knowledge-base and expertise, and, ultimately, by an abiding ambivalence about teacher educators’ and teacher education’s place in the world - the professional discomfort that characterises working across ‘the spaces in between’.
44
Abdullah, Umar. "Learning through Teacher Professional Training: English Teacher Certification Program in Indonesia." The Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1427720572.
Full text
45
Bu, Xun. "An investigation of the relationships between professional development, teacher efficacy and teacher stress among teachers in Shanghai public primary schools." Scholarly Commons, 2017. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/1.
Full textAbstract:
Under the theoretical framework of Guskey’s (2000) professional development models and Bandura’s (1997) social cognitive theory, this study sought to (a) identify how teachers in Shanghai public primary schools perceive the effectiveness of different types of professional development; (b) assess teachers’ self-efficacy and stress level; and (c) examine how teachers’ perceived effectiveness of professional development, their self-efficacy and stress level are related. A total of 562 public primary school teachers in Shanghai responded to the online survey which consisted of demographic information, the short version of Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale, Teacher Stress Inventory and a designed Professional Development Scale regarding the participation in and perceived effectiveness of professional development activities. Results emerged after analyzing the data: 1) among various types of professional development, mentoring, observation and assessment and study groups were perceived to be the most effective types by both novice and career teachers; 2) teachers generally felt “quite a bit” of teacher efficacy but a majority reported moderate levels of stress; 3) compared with their career counterparts, novice teachers have significantly lower self-efficacy and also show significantly lower stress; 4) a negative relationship between teacher efficacy and teacher stress exists for both groups of teachers; 5) an association between the perceived effectiveness of professional development and teacher efficacy exists for career teachers only; 6) teacher efficacy was found to fully mediate the relationship between perceived effectiveness of professional development and teacher stress only among career teachers. Additional discussion of the findings and their implications and suggestions for further research were also presented.
46
Sharp, Sara J. "Standardized Professional Development Content Validation for Educators." ScholarWorks, 2011. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1173.
Full textAbstract:
Educators in a low socioeconomic urban school district have been concerned with the quality of professional development (PD) training provided by the district. This issue affects students, parents, and teachers. Guided by the educational philosophy of inquiry and community, which hold that empowering teachers with validated PD could improve teacher pedagogy and perhaps academic outcomes, this project study examined (a) what benefits a standardized professional development content validation program for the 21st century can provide and, (b) what standardized professional development content validation for the 21st century looks like. A sequential exploratory mixed-methods design was used on a purposive sample of 8 teachers, who participated in semistructured, open-ended interviews. A quantitative questionnaire collected perceptions of teachers at the school. Interview data were analyzed via an inductive analysis approach, and survey data were analyzed via descriptive statistics. The findings of this sequential mixed methods research revealed that the content of PD activities often lacked structured validation for teachers to master important skills in their content area, new skills were undiscovered, and their pedagogy was underdeveloped. The outcome was a 3-day workshop designed to provide PD content validation for educators in 1 district in Washington State. Positive social change implications include teachers who can engage students in an informed, confident, professional manner, and increased teacher satisfaction at the research site as well as in other rural schools. Implementing this workshop will provide useful knowledge for policymakers, educators, and other researchers who are looking for a clearer definition of PD content for the 21st century.
47
Kale, Ugur. "Online communication patterns in a teacher professional development program." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2007. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3277966.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Instructional Technology, 2007.<br>Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-09, Section: A, page: 3813. Adviser: Thomas Brush. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Apr. 30, 2008).
48
Grych, Diane Smith. "The Role of In-Service Teachers in Pre-service Teacher Preparation for Multicultural Education." ScholarWorks, 2011. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1146.
Full textAbstract:
The U.S. population is rapidly diversifying, with the expectation that culturally diverse groups---including students---will outnumber European Americans by the year 2050. In contrast, public school teachers are expected to remain largely middle class, female, and Caucasian. Most multicultural education research has focused on cultural diversity in urban education settings. However, a gap in the literature has existed regarding student diversity and teachers' culturally responsive teaching in predominantly rural areas. In this study, Appalachian elementary school teachers shared their perspectives and experiences on effective multicultural teaching. An important gap has been bridged by using a 3-part theoretical framework, based on critical reflection, scaffolding, and perspective taking, related to the main research questions regarding (a) the qualities and experiences that in-service public school teachers possess that allow them to effectively teach students from a variety of backgrounds, and (b) what in-service teachers suggest for improving teacher preparation to meet the challenges of cultural diversity in schools. A qualitative, phenomenological approach anchored in a constructivist paradigm was used to gather voice data via a digital voice recorder from 8 participants. Semi structured, open-ended interviews were conducted to collect the data, followed by transcription and analysis. Data analysis resulted in the discovery of 5 themes related to the research questions and revealed mapping onto the conceptual framework. Social change implications can result in improved teacher education programs in rural areas and can enhance collaboration with professional development schools to improve pre-service teacher preparation for teaching diverse students.
49
Jaffurs, Alexander C. "Teacher Perceptions of Teacher Evaluation Using the Teacher Performance Assessment System and Factors that Contribute to Teacher Quality, Professional Growth, and Instructional Improvement over Time." Thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10640553.
Full textAbstract:
<p> The primary purpose of teacher evaluation is to improve teaching practice, which results in increased student achievement. In practice, however, evaluation systems have been generally used as sorting mechanisms for identifying the lowest performing teachers for selective termination. The school system in this study, like others, aspires to have all of its teachers consistently performing at a highly effective level. The problem of practice faced by the school system is the inability of a large number of teachers rated “effective” to summarily improve their practice over time and move to the “highly effective” rating. In essence, how does a teacher evaluation metric maximize the chances that those who remain in the profession become accomplished practitioners? This research triangulates teacher evaluation, self-reflection and their roles in improving teacher quality. The prevailing thought is that teachers who willingly engage in more formalized self-reflection and self-assessment yield higher degrees of teacher effectiveness as measured on a local teacher evaluation. The central focus of this study will investigate tenured teachers’ perceptions of the effect of their teacher evaluation tool on teacher quality and other factors that contribute to a teacher’s improvement of instructional performance over time. The researcher would also like to investigate the extent to which teacher cohorts—differentiated by demographic data—engage in formalized practices of self-reflection about their own teaching practice. Lastly, the researcher would like to determine whether or not tenured teachers who are evaluated with the local teacher evaluation tool actually improve their teacher effectiveness over time. </p><p> This study was conducted in a public, K-12 school system with 1420 teachers employed—39 of which are National Board Certified. This schools system is located in a rural/suburban school system and has utilized its current teacher evaluation system since 2000. </p><p> The findings of this study indicated that the majority of teachers—disaggregated by demographic teacher cohort—viewed their local teacher evaluation system somewhere along the continuum of neutral to satisfactory as a tool for building a teacher’s effectiveness over time. The overwhelming majority of teachers embraced the post-conference as the most impactful part of the entire evaluation process in building teacher quality; the least impactful was the pre-conference. Additionally, teacher respondents—agnostic of demographic—opined that while the local teacher evaluation system was perceived to be a both quality control and a compliance factor for teachers, less than half of all respondents believe that the system, assists teachers <i> formatively</i> as a tool for professional development. Per the respondents, it should be noted that the teacher evaluation system elicited the strongest reactions—both positive and negative—in teachers having experienced more than 20 formal observations. The research also conveyed that most teachers reported that there was much more embedded self-reflection in the evaluation system than hypothesized; most prominently, teachers cited that <i>audio-taping, reviewing student performance data, completing a self-reflective checklist, and engaging in unstructured self-reflection</i> were a few of the assorted self-reflective activities were facilitated by the evaluation system. Moreover, the data clearly demonstrated that all teachers engage in high degrees of reflection regardless of demographic cohort and a majority of teachers claim to already know how to “self-reflect.” In other words, the highest self-reported degree of reflection were those teachers already rated as “highly effective” in the local evaluation system. A prevalent trend in the data was that degrees of self-reflection matter and build more pronounced levels of teacher effectiveness over time. In essence, the fact that teachers participate in reflection does not seem to impact teacher quality; rather, the degree and amount to which one reflects is actually what matters in building instructional capacity in teachers. Other noticeable trends in the data were as follows: more years of teaching experience was inversely related to the degree to which a teacher self-reflects; over 30% of teachers with more than 20 years of experience reported that they do no self-reflect at all; the non-NBCT teacher cohort out reflects the NBCT cohort; NBCT teachers had the highest average evaluation rating out of every teacher cohort; and, teaching experience seems to mute any lack of reflection in a teacher’s evaluation rating; The other noticeable trend was that more formal observations for teachers did not translate into higher evaluation ratings over time. Overall, the two most impactful professional development activities cited by teachers were the following: participation in professional learning communities and peer coaching and mentoring, respectively.</p><p>
50
Sharp, Sara J. "Standardized Professional Development Content Validation for Educators." Thesis, Walden University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3646183.
Full textAbstract:
<p> Educators in a low socioeconomic urban school district have been concerned with the quality of professional development (PD) training provided by the district. This issue affects students, parents, and teachers. Guided by the educational philosophy of inquiry and community, which hold that empowering teachers with validated PD could improve teacher pedagogy and perhaps academic outcomes, this project study examined (a) what benefits a standardized professional development content validation program for the 21st century can provide and, (b) what standardized professional development content validation for the 21st century looks like. A sequential exploratory mixed-methods design was used on a purposive sample of 8 teachers, who participated in semistructured, open-ended interviews. A quantitative questionnaire collected perceptions of teachers at the school. Interview data were analyzed via an inductive analysis approach, and survey data were analyzed via descriptive statistics. The findings of this sequential mixed methods research revealed that the content of PD activities often lacked structured validation for teachers to master important skills in their content area, new skills were undiscovered, and their pedagogy was underdeveloped. The outcome was a 3-day workshop designed to provide PD content validation for educators in 1 district in Washington State. Positive social change implications include teachers who can engage students in an informed, confident, professional manner, and increased teacher satisfaction at the research site as well as in other rural schools. Implementing this workshop will provide useful knowledge for policymakers, educators, and other researchers who are looking for a clearer definition of PD content for the 21st century.</p>