Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) continues to be one of the most commonly diagnosed disorders in school-aged children As teachers are important gatekeepers for referring students who are in need of special services or classroom modifications, understanding what teachers know about ADHD and the factors that may lead to referral are important. First, the present study examined whether or not teachers were sensitive to academic achievement when making special education referrals. Second, the present study also examined if teachers could differentiate between ADHD behaviors and non-ADHD behaviors. Third, it examined the role of general teaching self-efficacy and self-efficacy related to teaching students with ADHD in making referrals and fourth, what are the sources of information teacher access for information about ADHD.

Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) continues to be one of the most commonly diagnosed disorders in school-aged children As teachers are important gatekeepers for referring students who are in need of special services or classroom modifications, understanding what teachers know about ADHD and the factors that may lead to referral are important. First, the present study examined whether or not teachers were sensitive to academic achievement when making special education referrals. Second, the present study also examined if teachers could differentiate between ADHD behaviors and non-ADHD behaviors. Third, it examined the role of general teaching self-efficacy and self-efficacy related to teaching students with ADHD in making referrals and fourth, what are the sources of information teacher access for information about ADHD.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University OF MICHIGAN.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University OF MICHIGAN.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University OF MICHIGAN.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University OF MICHIGAN.

This research is based on a case study of two primary Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses at the same university which was carried out at a time of rapid change and major reform. One of those courses, the Articled Teacher (AT) PGCE was of the 'school based' variety much heralded at the time as the way forward for the preparation of teachers. In this scheme, learner teachers were based, usually alone, for two years in one school in the care of a mentor, with a chance of a 'teaching practice' in another school. The ATs came into the university for seminars, lectures and tutorials. The other route was a more traditional one year course where the students, 75 in number, were based in the university and were sent out, sometimes alone, sometimes in groups, into two or three different schools for 'teaching practice' or 'school experience'. The research focussed on three major factors in making comparisons between the two groups: 1) patterns of loyalty to, and support from, the university and the school; 2) the sources of their theorising about teaching - the ATs relying more on their own personal experience mainly because of their constant need to survive in their schools; 3) the differences between the course providers in schools and in the university which were more important for the ATs because of their course's emphasis on 'partnership' rather than 'integration'. The findings of the fieldwork are placed in the context of a discussion of the recent reforms in initial teacher education with particular reference to their implications for school based training.

This thesis seeks to: 1) establish reasons for the introduction of Competenceand Standards-based Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in England and Wales; 2) assess the impact ofCompetences and Standards on Secondary RE ITT; 3) offer proposals for a new 'multidimensional' RE ITT paradigm. The thesis is structured around four research questions. The first research question: Why were Competences and Standards introduced into the lIT process? informs a historical inquiry into the origins of Competences and Standards in Part 1. The second and third research questions: To what extent do documents such as 9/92 and 4/98 represent idealized models of teacher training and assessment? and How do Ofsted inspectors interpret ITT Competences and Standards in practice?, are considered in Part 2, where DfEE Circulars 9/92, 4/98 and other ITT inspection-related materials are analyzed and critiqued. The fourth research question: Can Standards be successfully integrated into ITT structures that seek to develop personal and professional qualities that lie far beyond the mechanical acquisition of depersonalized and decontextualized skills, behaviours and knowledge? leads in Part 3 to the presentation of proposals for new Secondary RE ITT structures. After outlining the salient features of these proposed ITT structures, possible barriers to their successful implementation are considered.

This study investigates the extent and nature of mathematics anxiety in primary school teacher trainees in Malaysia, and identifies the factors that are associated with it. This is qualitative research and hence the approach is to understand the current phenomenon and to obtain a rich and in-depth insight into significant issues. Three methods for obtaining data are used: questionnaires, interviews and observations of subjects doing mathematics. Evidence for the nature and source of mathematics anxiety was derived from what the teacher trainees said about (a) their perceptions of mathematics; (b) themselves with regard to mathematics (self-image); (c) their feelings towards mathematics; and (d) their behaviour when doing mathematics. Hands-on mathematics was given to the teacher trainees in order to observe how mathematics anxiety affects them in an actual scenario of doing mathematics. Interviews were carried out immediately after the hands-on observations in order to give the teacher trainees opportunities to explain their actions. Teachers-students relationship, teachers' style of teaching, examination pressure, parental and peer group influences were identified as the main factors contributing to the trainees' mathematics anxiety. The cultural setting for these factors emerged from the research as being of particular significance.

Recently, teacher preparation programs have called for an increased awareness of issues surrounding the teaching of linguistic and cultural minority students. As the majority of preservice teachers are white and female, and with the growing diversity of incoming students, there is a noticeable need for discussions of race, privilege and power in teacher preparation programs. One way to open up this dialogue is with the use of narratives and autobiographies connected to courses in antiracist, multicultural education. In this qualitative study, a case study methodology was used to demonstrate the promise of autobiography as a tool for unpacking preservice teachers racial identities so that they might become better teachers for an increasingly diverse student population. This study took place over the course of an eight-week seminar which I conducted with three white, female preservice teachers. All three participants were required to complete this seminar as it is a mandatory course for their program. The setting for this seminar was a small, liberal arts college in a large city in the Southwestern United States. To better understand these three preservice teachers expressed beliefs of multicultural education and how these beliefs might be influenced by this seminar, multiple data sources were collected including recordings of class discussions, field notes, analytic memos, written documents and classroom artifacts. The constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) and analytic induction (LeCompte & Preissle, 1993) were used to analyze and interpret the data. Three major themes emerged from the data: what we learned; race, power and privilege; and narrative and autobiography as learning tools. Implications for teacher education from these cases include recommendations for curriculum and pedagogy, considerations for white preservice teachers, and the need for honesty and engagement in multicultural education courses.