Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 35-10, Section: A, page: 6563. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1974.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 37-07, Section: A, page: 4298. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1976.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 35-09, Section: A, page: 5978. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1974.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 35-09, Section: A, page: 5980. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1974.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 35-10, Section: A, page: 6547. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1974.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 37-01, Section: A, page: 0236. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1975.

Thesis advisor: Marilyn Cochran-Smith / The number of autistic students receiving special education services increased 478% between the years 2000 and 2013 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2016). U.S. schools and teachers are educating more autistic students with complex educational needs resulting from differences in communication, social interaction and behavior. As a result, schools need increasing numbers of teachers who are equipped to educate them. Quality special education teacher preparation is critical for teachers of autistic students, because it can affect the quality of education and outcomes for this highly unique student population. Very little research has been conducted to determine the extent to which special education teacher preparation programs provide teachers with preparation to teach autistic students, or about the extent to which special educators feel prepared to teach this population at the point of conclusion of their preparation programs. This study used a mixed methods sequential explanatory design to examine the perceptions of special educators about their preparedness to teach autistic students based on preparation program/licensure, specialized autism coursework, and on-the-job experiences after licensure programs. A researcher-created survey was followed by interviews to explore participants’ survey responses more deeply. Survey data (n =121) were used to inform both question construction and participant selection for a purposive sample of follow-up interviews (n= 10). Regression analyses, means, summary scores, and thematic coding were employed to analyze the survey data. Results indicated that the majority (77%) of special education teachers felt unprepared to teach autistic students at the end of their licensure programs. However, specialized autism coursework was a significant predictor of teachers’ sense of preparedness. Limitations of the study and implications for special education teacher preparation and education are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Thesis advisor: Maria Estela Brisk / This mixed methods research study examined the impact of an intervention designed to prepare mainstream secondary teacher candidates to identify and teach features of Academic English. The intervention was intended to develop Disciplinary Linguistic Knowledge (Turkan, deOliveira, Phelps, and Lee, 2014) through engagement in several tasks for preparing linguistically responsive teachers (Lucas and Villegas, 2013). Pre-tests, post-tests, and artifacts created by teacher candidates in their fieldwork placements, as well as observations of a small group of teacher candidates teaching in their placement classrooms and interviews with these participants, were collected in order to analyze the effect that the intervention had on the teacher candidates’ identification of features of AE and their planning and implementation of instruction in these features. While the teacher candidates accurately identified features of AE on the post-tests and in the artifacts, only a small number of participants planned or implemented instruction in features of AE in their lessons. The experiences of the participants in the small group illustrated that teacher candidates need, in addition to the ability to identify features of Academic English, knowledge about how to teach these features, a commitment to teaching language in their lessons, and the support of supervisors and cooperating teachers who possess the same knowledge and commitment. The findings suggest that teacher education programs should engage both teacher candidates and the individuals who guide the planning and teaching of lessons in their pre-practicum experiences in developing the essential knowledge of and commitment to teaching Academic English in mainstream content area classrooms. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

The state of Oregon, like many states, requires its districts’ teacher evaluation systems to include measures of student learning as well as a measure of teachers’ professional practice. State guidelines require use of state test data in assessed grades as one of the measures, but allow districts flexibility in which additional assessments to use and which source of information to prioritize when evaluating teachers. This study used existing data from one school district to compare students’ performance on a state reading and literature assessment to their performance on reading curriculum-based measures, and the degree to which measures of teaching practices relates to both types of student outcomes. Results are interpreted with consideration of how the district implements their measure of teaching practice. Results from this study may help inform decisions the district will face as they continue to refine their teacher evaluation system in accordance with state guidelines, while elucidating challenges that such systems pose.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the characteristics of classroom teachers in Florida public schools and the job-related areas they perceive as most stressful. Data for the study was gathered from the population of elementary and secondary classroom teachers in Florida public schools. The population was randomly sampled using a table of random numbers and consisted of teachers from 50 public elementary and secondary schools, representing each of the five educational regions of Florida as defined by the Florida Department of Education. / Data collected from completed surveys were manually scored and recorded on a data sheet. Data were transferred from the data sheets to computer files for analysis. The perceived job-related areas of stress and differences in perceptions among the demographic subgroups were analyzed by means of the Analysis of Variance statistics. It was concluded from the study that: (1) Florida public school teachers, regardless of grade level taught, sex, age, race, number of years teaching experience and level of education, share common perceptions about events associated with teaching that produce the greatest degree of stress. (2) Teaching events perceived by Florida classroom teachers as being most stressful are those over which the teacher has least control and those in which the teacher is held accountable for student achievement and school problems. / Recommendations include: (1) A closer examination should be made into the nature of stress associated with teaching events and its relationship to "life events" of the teacher. (2) An additional study should be accomplished to determine how stress affects teachers in the performance of their professional duties. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-03, Section: A, page: 0484. / Major Professor: John Bolden. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.