Thesis (Ed. D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The focus of this study was to create a living portrait of the work life ofliteracy coaches, a new and evolving occupation for staff developers. Coaches with expertise in literacy curriculum, instruction, and assessment have been hired to work with teachers and administrators in urban elementary schools and help them to improve instruction for urban youth. Coaches, teachers, and principals in four northeastern cities participated in this study. Coaches were observed, interviews were conducted, and participants were asked to provide samples of student work, schedules, or other documents that were used to triangulate data obtained from observation and interviews. Of the five coaches in the study (three part-time, external coaches and two fulltime, internal coaches), reports indicate that two of the part-time coaches were most successful. Supervisory or administrative responsibilities, particularly identification and remediation of problematic teachers, created an obstacle for both of the full-time coaches. It created the perception among other members of the faculty that the coaches were forcing a top-down agenda for change. The effectiveness of the principal as an instructional leader, the coaches' ability to manage their daily work, the personality of individual coaches, and process by which they choose to engage teachers also had an effect on their ability to promote change. The successful coaches appealed to the intrinsic motivation of teachers to improve instruction by explicitly demonstrating how some practices are beneficial to students. Having gained the initial commitment of teachers, the successful coaches focused on helping teachers to internalize strategies that would allow them to become more reflective about their practice and better able to adapt instruction to the diverse needs of their students. The successful coaches were working in districts with organized reform initiatives, and were working in schools with principals who were knowledgeable about, and dedicated to literacy reform. Their principals had created time for teacher collaboration and professional development to be part of the teachers' workday. / 2031-01-01

This study explored how the integration of science and literacy in an elementary school classroom impacted the conceptual learning and understanding of first grade students. This study was explored around two research questions 1) How do students respond to the weather activities after being exposed to scientific read-alouds? 2) How will the impact of center based science inquiry on students reading comprehension and conceptual understanding of science knowledge change when the teacher engages students in scientific inquiry through the use of centers? Data was collected over a three-day period when the teacher was conducting a weather unit. It was found that through the literacy integration process and use of centers, the students were able to gain a deeper conceptual understanding and procedural fluency of the science topic.

The purpose of this research study is to examine the instructional practices of teachers who are currently teaching homeless students in their classroom. This study identified eight teachers in two suburban elementary schools that have students in their current classrooms that are experiencing homelessness. In addition, the research study explored the needs considered and strategies that teachers use to differentiate and accommodate their instructional practices to maximize achievement for these students. Qualitative data was collected by a study of teacher interviews through collective ethnographic case studies. Additionally, quantitative data was collected through evaluator observations of the selected classrooms to observe the differences between the identified students and the students not experiencing homelessness. Additional artifacts were submitted from teachers to support data collection. This study revealed key themes of successful pedagogical practices of elementary teachers with instructional strategies and non-instructional strategies. These themes included instructional strategies of planning, learning groups, and homework modifications. Non-instructional strategies included themes of relationships, supports, and needs.

Elementary school age children engage in levels of physical activity that are well below recommended guidelines. It has been suggested that classroom teachers can assist in remedying the problem by providing physical activity breaks and physical activity embedded in instruction. This study utilized the instrument, Physical Activity in the Classroom, to investigate the level of physical activity used in classrooms and to discover whether teachers differed in the amount of activity based on grade level and their own perceived level of personal fitness. It explored academic and behavioral benefits related to incorporating physical activity in the classroom and discovered what supports teachers report they need to incorporate more physical activity during the school day.;The 31-item instrument was tested on a random cluster sample of 393 K-5 elementary school teachers Findings revealed that teachers incorporated low levels of physical activity during their lessons. Math was identified as the subject area where they are most likely to incorporate a physical activity component. The K-5 teachers endorsed academic and behavioral benefits of including physical activity throughout the school day.;They maintained willingness to accept responsibility for including more physical activity but need support from administration and professional development to accomplish the goal. A factor analysis of the study instrument indicated that further refinement is needed to improve construct validity.

This ethnography examines many different components of my coming to the teaching profession as well as my first year within the field. Through research and an in depth analysis of my students and their environment, my teacher effectiveness and abilities have also been defined. This ethnography is composed of four cohesive parts, each detailing a different part of my teaching practice. Part A explains the reason why I chose to become an educator, Part B follows the journey of three focus students within my first classroom and the action plan I created for them to find success, Part C details the different communities in which I work and my students live, and Part D is a final comprehensive analysis of my teacher effectiveness within my first year of teaching. The purpose of this ethnography is to clarify my teacher’s ambition as well as provide research and data on my students as a whole as well as three focus students. In addition, by examining these students and their growth throughout the year, another purpose of this ethnography is to provide an analysis of my effectiveness as a first year teacher as well as create a goal and plan for my future in the education field.

This ethnography allows me to build relationships with my students and their families by looking beyond my own assumptions and biases. By looking at my schooling experience, teaching vision, students, classroom, and first year of teaching experience, I have been able to compare how my schooling influence my teaching visions. By using my teaching visions in my classroom, I can examine whether my visions were ideal, successful, or unsuccessful. Within the classroom, I was able to gain knowledge on three focus students. With these three focus students, I observed those students in the classroom as well as at home. Along with this, home visitations and family interviews were conducted to further improve relationships with students and their families. In addition to these three focus students and their families, I also broaden my knowledge of my class as a whole by analyzing data and identifying strengths, weaknesses, and growth. In addition to understanding my classroom, I studied the community my students are apart of as well as how school and education fit into the community. By communicating with diverse individuals and getting to know their personal story I have been able to develop and grow as an individual and professional in education.

One school in a Western United States was recently rated academically unacceptable by the state. That same school had an inactive Parent as Teachers organization, and teachers expressed concerns regarding low parental involvement. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the impact of teacher perceptions of barriers to parental involvement. Epstein's model of parental involvement was the theoretical framework for this study. The research questions focused on identifying perceived parental involvement barriers from the perspective of teachers and suggesting viable solutions to address these perceived barriers. This case study involved interviewing 8 elementary school teachers. Data analysis consisted of open, axial, and selective coding. The following themes emerged from the data: (a) Teacher perceptions of parents and barriers to parental involvement; (b) communication; (c) teacher expectations for parental involvement; (d) building effective relationships; and (e) solutions and resources to improve parental involvement. The participants in the study identified viable solutions in order to improve parental involvement and to engage families to provide opportunities for parents and teachers to build relationships. The implications for positive social change include the potential for increased student academic success.

This descriptive study was designed to ascertain and analyze the existing work performance and the ideal work performance of primary specialists in Okaloosa County, Florida, public schools, relative to the mandated competencies specified for the role (FS 230.2312). Data were gathered from a sample of primary specialists, principals, and kindergarten through grade three teachers by means of a mailed or hand-delivered, self-administered questionnaire designed by the researcher. Spot-check input was also obtained for comparison purposes from several educational leaders in Florida counties other than Okaloosa. / Data were processed by the Institute for Statistical and Mathematical Modeling at the University of West Florida, using the Statistical Analysis Systems Package (SAS). Frequency percentages were computed in order to describe the actual and ideal performance of primary specialists. Analysis of Variance tests, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation tests, and Scheffe test computations were used to determine significant differences in perceptions for variables of interest to the study. Free response comments and suggestions from respondents were grouped, ranked, and analyzed. / Analysis of the data produced the following conclusions pertaining to the performance of primary specialists in Okaloosa County: (1) Close contact between the primary specialist and the teachers and students in the classroom is not emphasized enough; (2) More time is spent on paperwork tasks and tasks peripheral to classroom instruction than was desired by respondents or indicated by the legislation; (3) Differences in perceptions of the primary specialist role, attributed to work position and educational experience of respondents, and variations in school needs from school to school muddle the picture of the primary specialist's role. / Recommendations of the study for the role of the primary specialist focus on a reduction of paperwork tasks, more emphasis on contact time with teachers and students, the need for clarification of the role by means of a clearly written job description and better communication of this job description to all personnel involved in the implementation of PREP, and the need to standardize education and experience requirements for the primary specialist position. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-11, Section: A, page: 3823. / Major Professor: Virginia P. Green. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.

Thesis (D.Ed. (Education Policy))-University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.