Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Instructional Systems Technology of the School of Education, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-01, Section: A, page: 0152. Adviser: Thomas M. Duffy. "Title from dissertation home page (viewed Jan. 8, 2007)."

<p> Teachers are critical to student learning in the classroom, and just like students, teachers perform better when they are able to make choices based on what is relevant to them. Action research is a way for teachers to systematically inquire and reflect to make necessary improvements in practice for student learning. This study involved teachers who had conducted action research as a component of their Master's in Curriculum and Instruction program at one Midwest college. It examined teachers' perceived lasting benefits of conducting action research, the elements they continue to implement, and the supports of and limitations to continuation of the practice. </p><p> As part of a mixed-method study, a researcher-developed survey was first used. Seventy-seven teachers provided responses to the online survey. Fifteen survey participants volunteered to offer narrative elaboration of their responses in a follow-up telephone interview. </p><p> The compiled data included totals and percentages from the survey and themes and quotations from the teachers' narrative responses. Together, the findings revealed that 98% of the teachers felt they benefited from conducting action research. They perceived the greatest professional benefits of conducting action research to be thinking more reflectively, positively impacting student learning, and inquiring more about their practice. </p><p> Teachers were continuing to conduct action research based on the impact they perceived the practice had on their students' success in the classroom. The elements they continued most often were identifying a focus, collecting and analyzing data, and reflecting on the process. This practice allowed them to learn from evaluating the effectiveness of their implementations and realize there was rigor and relevance to what they were doing. </p><p> With 92% of participants desiring to continue action research, two major factors were given as greatest support for continuation. Teachers desired a combination of collaboration with peers on issues that mattered to them and time in the school day to collaborate and conduct action research.</p>

<p> Secondary students in the United States are now competing in a global marketplace (Wagner, 2010). Any factor which decreases student achievement must be alleviated to permit students to reach their full academic potential. Student achievement has been negatively linked with teacher attrition (Ronfeldt, Loeb, &amp; Wyckoff, 2012): occupational commitment has also been negatively linked with attrition. Occupational commitment, therefore, is related to student achievement and success. </p><p> Ethics is commonly recognized as an integral part of education, yet there is little research on the ethical beliefs of teachers, especially on teachers at the secondary level. Previous research has established connections between occupational commitment and factors such as stress and job satisfaction. However, there has been little research that explores the connection between ethical beliefs and occupational commitment. </p><p> The purpose of the study was to explore potential connections between teachers' ethical beliefs and their occupational commitment. More specifically, North Carolina secondary teachers were surveyed to obtain information about their idealism, relativism, academic department, and occupational commitment. The theoretical framework of the study was a synthesis of ethical position theory (Forsyth, 1980), person-vocation fit, and value consonance (Rosenberg, 1977). The ethical position questionnaire (Forsyth, 1980) was used to measure teachers' idealism and relativism; the occupational commitment scales (Meyer, Allen, &amp; Smith, 1993) were used to measure teachers' occupational commitment. </p><p> The study was expected to confirm relationships between the study variables and to identify ethical beliefs as a predictor of low occupational commitment. In fact, no significant relationships were discovered between the study variables. However, North Carolina teachers were determined to be a homogeneous group of individuals in terms of idealism and relativism. Teachers' academic department had no bearing on teachers' ethical beliefs. This observation was in contrast to previous research which had indicated the presence of subjectbased subcultures in secondary schools. Although unexpected, this finding was significant as it suggests secondary subculture is based primarily on difference in subject matter rather than on teachers' personal beliefs and values. On a more practical level, the knowledge that secondary teachers exist as a homogeneous population of ethical beliefs will enable administrators to more effectively recruit new teachers. Administrators will also be able to better predict faculty reaction to new policies and procedures with an increased understanding of their faculty's ethical beliefs.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to provide insight into teacher perceptions as to if and how professional learning communities (PLCs) promote and support effective professional development in a rural high school. Effective professional development should enhance pedagogy, which is defined as improving educational practices of teachers through opportunities that increase knowledge and improve skills (No Child Left Behind, 2001, Section 9101). A case study approach and qualitative data collection methods were selected for the study due to the real-life context in which the inquiry occurred. Data collection began with surveys in order to acquire a broad view of teachers' perceptions, focus groups provided more specificity to teachers' perceptions, and finally individual interviews afforded the most detailed information. </p><p> The themes that emerged indicated that collaboration is the most important characteristic of a professional learning community in terms of usefulness, flexibility, and professional growth. Most teachers indicated that due to participation in a PLC they had grown professionally and their students had also benefitted. A major theme throughout participant responses was the need for both job-embedded professional development (PLCs) and traditional professional development (workshops, conferences, etc.). Teachers, administration, and board members of similar rural school districts may benefit from this study by understanding teachers&rsquo; perceptions of effective professional development that impacts classroom instruction. </p>

M.Ed. / From the researcher’s experience as well as in the literature on continuing professional teacher development (CPTD) it seems that teachers in South Africa in general, but in particular technology teachers experienced problems with CPTD. With this in mind, TechnEd launched the Catalyst Project in 2003 with the financial support of Anglo Platinum in the Bojanala Region of the North West province in South Africa. The Catalyst project entails the CPTD of technology teachers from 130 schools which takes place at one central venue (so-called school-focused CPTD). A literature study was done in which a variety of international CPTD models, as well as a model that focuses on the process of developing appropriate CPTD programmes for technology teachers in a South African context were considered, and criteria for sound CPTD were identified. The criteria were used to develop the TechnEd’s school-focused CPTD programme. Although TechnEd has been offering schoolfocused CPTD in partnership with trade and industry, as well as with a department of education to technology teachers, it was still unknown how these teachers experience the workshops. The purpose of this research was to describe a CPTD model where partners from trade and industry, a department of education and a higher education institution are involved, and to determine the teachers’ experience of the CPTD intervention. The research questions addressed in this research were: 1. What are the training needs of technology teachers in South Africa? 2. Which criteria for CPTD can be derived from existing CPTD models? 3. What is the teachers’ experience of the CPTD?An evaluative case study, which drew on qualitative research methodology, was conducted. The participants in the research were technology teachers who are participating in the Catalyst project. Data were collected through the observation of the teachers during the various workshops, open-ended questionnaires (questions were adapted after each workshop to try and get the richest data possible) and interviews. The data were analysed through the constant comparative method in order to derive findings. The main finding is that the teachers experienced the workshops as rewarding and fruitful. This finding is supported by four further specific findings, namely: 1. Teachers felt empowered by the workshops through the development of their technological knowledge (both conceptual and procedural) as well as their pedagogy. 2. Teachers experienced the workshops as being conducive to learning among learners. 3. Teachers experienced the accompanying learning and teacher support material (LTSM) as well as the materials and tools, supplied during the workshops, as informative and helpful, and have a need to use it in their classrooms. 4. Organisational aspects (some over which TechnEd had control, and some over which the department of education had control) regarding the workshops were part of the teachers’ experience. In contradiction to the earlier reference that teachers found CPTD too generic, it seems that teachers experience TechnEd’s CPTD with a specific focus where they are supplied with customised LTSM, material and tools that they can implement in their classrooms, and where they are orientated and trained in the underlying (school and content) knowledge and pedagogy, as rewarding and fruitful.

<p>The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the adjunct faculty's perception of professional development and support services offered and needed at Tidewater Community College, a multicampus community college. This study involved adjunct faculty only. A survey was created and contained 58 survey questions. The majority of these were Likert-like items based on a scale from <i>Strongly Agree</i>, indicating a very important need or value for the adjunct, to <i>Strongly Disagree</i>, indicating a not important at all level of perceived value. In order to determine if other factors influenced the perception of professional development or support services, other questions asked for demographic information, such as education level, age, number of years in the professional field, and discipline/department. Except for education level, each of the independent variables accepted the null hypothesis that there is no statistically significant difference between adjunct faculty perception of institutional supports and the professional development and support services offered in terms of the independent variables. Findings from this study indicated that adjunct faculty perceived that professional development and support services are significant in improving their teaching and important to their role and success. Adjuncts want to better serve students and connect with the institution. Orientation and mentoring are highly regarded and requested to help integrate adjunct faculty into the college. The data indicated that adjunct faculty members want professional development that meets their specific instructional and student-centered needs that is offered during more accommodating times. The current professional development offerings are not well-attended and do not seem to meet the specific needs of this adjunct population. It behooves the administration to further investigate what is currently being done to support adjuncts and to address a means to improve the delivery and execution of all institutional supports. While this study provides useful information related to one community college, it is important that each community college examine closely its personal investment relative to the institutional support it provides to adjunct faculty members. </p>