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The purpose of this research was to determine if there was a difference in the scores of students on the “What Helped Me to Become Successful in the Ninth Grade?” survey between the retained and promoted students who had been taught by teachers who had Capturing Kids’ Hearts (CKH) training during 2007-08 school year. The students in one Mid-Atlantic Virginia, urban school were the study population. Students who had completed the ninth grade on time with teachers who had CKH training were compared with students who had been retained with teachers who had the CKH training were asked to complete a student perception survey. A mean score on a 25-item Student Perception Survey for each item was computed for the two groups of students who were in this high school during the 2007-08 school year and remained during the 2008-09 school year. Particular attention was given to nine questions that focused on relationship issues. A t-test was utilized to determine if there was a significant difference between comparative data on the mean for the two groups of students. In all nine of the relationship questions, there was no statistical significant difference in the mean of the responses for the repeat ninth grade students and the on time tenth grade students. The responses to the relationship questions indicated that the training the teachers received had a similar effect on students whether they were on time tenth grade students or repeat ninth grade students. The percentage of repeat ninth grade students had a higher percentage than the tenth grade students of agree responses on five of the nine relationship questions. Additionally, the median for the repeat ninth grade participants was higher on six of the nine relationship questions; therefore, the repeat ninth grade students had a stronger response to the relationship questions than the on time tenth grade students. The CKH training was a three-day off site learning experience for ninth grade teachers that provided tools to build positive, productive, and trusting relationships among themselves and their students. The EXCEL Model utilized five distinctive training areas: (a) engaging, (b) exploring, (c) communicating, (d) empowering, and (e) launching. The focus for students included developing skills that could affect their school success. / Ph. D.

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In Initial Teacher Training (ITT), one of the technologies rapidly being adopted to support the development of trainee teachers is the e-portfolio. Research into successful use of e-portfolios beyond their function as a repository has been scanty to date. The purpose of the current study was to extend the boundaries of understanding of e-portfolios beyond this function. This was undertaken through two in-depth case studies where e-portfolios were used as a pedagogical tool intended to support the development of reflective practice on a one year postgraduate ITT course, during two years of investigation in one university A mixed-methods approach was adopted to capture the richness of participants’ self reports of their experiences, statistical data regarding interactions on the e-portfolios and analysis of reflective writing. Data were collected and analysed from questionnaires, student and tutor interviews and interactions with the e-portfolio together with analysis of the content of reflective e-journals, with a special emphasis on the place and depth of reflection. What emerged was a rich contextual understanding of e-portfolio use by trainee teachers and tutors and the problematic nature of conceptualising and assessing reflective thinking, together with the extent to which the development and depth of their reflective thinking had been supported by e-portfolio use. The results confirm previous concerns related to the training requirements of users and also the time needed for students and tutors to engage in interactions. Further they imply that the prerequisites of successful use of e-portfolios, as a pedagogical tool, to support the development of reflective thinking include common agreement about what constitutes reflection and reflective thinking embedded within a strong, rigorous and well theorised conceptualisation of course structure and content. Implied also is the need for a well understood and transparent framework to assess the depth of reflective thinking that should complement the competencies that underpin Standards, and support the professional development of teachers.

Young children develop language and early literacy interactions that are the building blocks for future skilled reading. This study was designed to evaluate the early childhood classroom to determine teachers‟ knowledge of early literacy. Based on the Literacy Environment Checklist (LEC) of the Early Literacy and Language Classroom Observation (ELLCO) tool, the classrooms scored 100% proficiency in the Book Area and Book Selection categories. The results indicate the prekindergarten teachers knew how to design their classrooms to enhance early literacy. The classrooms scored 86% proficiency in the Writing Materials category, 73% proficiency in the Writing around the Room category, and 58% proficiency in the Book Use category. These results indicate that the teachers did not utilize early literacy materials or did not have necessary early literacy materials in the classrooms. Many of the teachers had minimal early literacy training. Without specific early literacy training, teachers did not design their classrooms in ways that would enhance early literacy.