New Internet and communication technologies (ICTs) facilitate collaboration and interaction among teachers. The increased presence of web-based tools in education settings prompted this qualitative inquiry. Widely available and inexpensive, these webbased tools (e.g., blogs, wikis, podcasts) provide opportunities for publishing content online. This multiple case study explores the sociocultural construct of identity formation (Holland & Lachicotte, 2007) of four first-year teachers who voluntarily blogged about their experiences. Data sources include the blog posts written by participants during the 2006-07 school year and responses to an electronic questionnaire emailed to participants at the end of the year. A qualitative content analysis (Alaszewski, 2006) was conducted to identify emergent themes in the data. Analysis was guided by a set of dimensions drawn from the research literature on teacher identity and grounded in the data. Findings represent six dimensions of teacher identity that include pedagogical, personal, intuitive, intellectual, social, and political aspects of teaching. The following conclusions were drawn by the researcher: (1) new teachers who capitalize on the affordances of blogging generate feedback from readers that substantiates their experiences and provides encouragement in times of struggle, (2) new teachers rely on their own educational histories to shape themselves as teachers, and (3) new teachers want a “safe place” to interact with other teachers, so much so that concerns about privacy, security and critique are outweighed by the benefits of communicating with other teachers through blogging.

Since 1985, the Hong Kong government has been collaborating with the selected non-profit private service providers to implement integrated kindergarten education in mainstream kindergarten programs initially designed for typically developing children. The term "integrated" is roughly equivalent to "inclusive" in the United States. This study's purpose is to describe kindergarten teachers' perspectives on the provision of quality integrated education for children with disabilities in Hong Kong contexts. The findings of this study offer empirical data that suggest ways to improve the quality of integrated kindergarten programs so that young children with disabilities can attain a high-quality early childhood education experience that lays a solid foundation upon which successful subsequent schooling can be built. In-depth, open-ended qualitative interviewing was the primary data collection method for this study. Four integrated kindergarten programs in Hong Kong were involved, and two kindergarten teachers from each program participated as informants. Each of the eight informants was interviewed three times; and data were analyzed using typological techniques. Two research questions guided the study: (a) How do early childhood educators describe their experience with integration? and (b) According to the teachers, what does instruction look like in integrated kindergarten programs? Findings were descriptions of teachers' perspectives on working in integrated kindergartens in Hong Kong. Analysis of informants' data identified two broad generalizations: (a) Kindergarten teachers in this study emphasized teaching academics to children without disabilities, but they focused on social developnlent at the exclusion of academic instruction for children with disabilities, and (b) According to the teachers, instruction was academic and skill-oriented in the integrated kindergarten programs. The results documented that kindergarten teachers felt compelled to teach academics to children without disabilities primarily due to the schools' academic goals, the standardized curriculum, parents' expectations for their children's academic achievement, primary schools' academic requirements for entering pupils, and the Hong Kong government's demand for students' academic competence. Contradictorily, kindergarten teachers felt no pressure to teach academics to children with disabilities due to negative teacher attitudes toward children with disabilities, resource constraints within school systems, the Hong Kong government's unsupported policy toward integrated education, and an unreceptive culture toward individuals with disabilities. Kindergarten teachers in this study commented that the integrated kindergarten programs they provided did not serve the interests ofchildren with or without disabilities.

Leadership effectiveness is a complex phenomenon involving personality traits, learned and natural skills and abilities, and the resulting behaviors as leadership is performed within context. Because of leadership influences upon organizational outcomes, it is critical for an organization to identify job-specific leadership indicators, to recognize potential leaders, and to recognize the absence of desirable traits in existing leadership. This descriptive study explored the relationships between performance and leadership traits for county directors, the first-line administrative personnel in the University of Tennessee Extension. Performance appraisal scores were compared to items measured in a Managerial Assessment of Proficiency (MAPTM) and an inventory measuring aptitude and personality dimensions currently utilized as a pre-employment evaluation (Personal Style Inventory, PSI) in Tennessee Extension. Statistical relationships were expressed using Pearson's Correlation coefficient (rho, p) and multiple regression was utilized to express predictive potential. Relationships did exist between Tennessee Extension County Director performance and MAP and PSI constructs. Though inconsistent, seven MAP constructs (communication and MAP overall proficiencies; advising, theory X and theory Y communication response styles; and the sensor and feeler personal style) were significantly (p<0.05) correlated with one or more performance scores/years. Correlation coefficients ranged from 0.22 to 0.32. A total of sixteen PSI constructs were correlated with one or more performance scores/years. Pearson's rho values ranged from 0.19 to 0.49. The constructs work drive and overall personality score demonstrated the most frequent and strongest relationships with performance. The PSI constructs of interest in community development, conscientiousness, customer responsiveness, openness to new experience, optimism, achievement/status striving, potential for long tenure, work drive, big 5 model of personality and overall personality score all exhibited one or more moderate (r>0.30, p<0.05) relationships with performance. The PSI construct ofwork drive was the strongest predictor variable in both the correlation and regression analysis. Regression analysis produced a workable model ofMAP, PSI and demographic variables that accounted for 50.2 percent ofthe variance in program performance, 56.7 percent of administrative and 51.5 percent of total performance score. Major non-demographic contributors to the model were work drive, theory X and theory Y management styles, the advising communication response style, verbal cognitive reasoning, big 5 model of personality score, MAP communication and cognitive composites, and customer service/responsiveness score. Demographically, male county directors scored higher in the theory X management style than did female county directors. Female county directors scored higher in the PSI constructs of agreeableness, child management skills, conscientiousness, extroversion, integrity & values, optimism, achievement/status striving and overall personality score. County directors with an earned master's degree exhibited higher work drive scores than did those with a bachelor's degree only. Recommendations for practice and for further study are offered.

Research supports the value of quality preschool programs in preparing children for future schooling, though experts in early care and education have not reached consensus on all contributing factors. Studies of educational leadership suggest that school leaders have an effect on student outcomes, yet few studies in the area of early childhood education have focused on the role of leaders. This study examined the literacy beliefs and the leadership behaviors of the instructional leaders of child care facilities and investigated whether these characteristics and/or behaviors were associated with prekindergarten teachers’ instructional practices in the areas of language development, reading, and writing. Instructional leaders self-reported their beliefs through response to a survey that contained the Teacher Beliefs Questionnaire (Seefeldt, 2004) and items related to leadership behaviors. Teachers’ classroom practice was evaluated using the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation PreK Tool (Smith, Brady, Anastasopoulos, 2008). Results suggest that instructional leaders’ beliefs are most consistent with best practice in the areas of book reading and writing and most contradictory in decoding knowledge. Additionally, their beliefs in the area of oral language are also congruent with recent research, but they appear not to have a full understanding of the relationship between early vocabulary development and later reading ability. Finally, leaders’ beliefs did not fully translate into teacher practice. These findings suggest a need for further research of leaders’ relationship to literacy instruction in the early childhood setting. Further, the need for more robust professional development in the area of literacy for child care personnel is discussed as is the need for changes in policy concerning education and compensation for professionals in the field of early care and education.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of two spelling interventions on spelling acquisition, word reading, vocabulary development, and spelling maintenance. The first intervention, called Cover, Copy, and Compare (CCC), involved having the participant look at a word, cover it, write it, and then compare the written response to the original stimulus. The second intervention (CCC+SD) included the CCC technique, but the experimenter also used the word in a sentence and provided a brief definition just before the participant engaged in the CCC technique of each word. Instructional time was held constant across conditions. Daily spelling performance for three first-grade students was measured using an alternating treatment design. In addition, participants were tested before and after the study to determine levels of change in word reading and vocabulary. Results indicated that both interventions increased the participants’ spelling at a functionally equivalent rate, which was greater than a control condition. Because the rate of spelling words learned was equivalent across the two interventions, these interventions may be considered equally efficient methods of improving spelling accuracy. Only 1 of the 3 participants was better able to define words assigned to the CCC+SD condition, relative to words assigned to CCC and control conditions. All 3 participants showed greater gains in word reading in the two interventions than in the control condition.

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of treadmill workstations as a weight loss intervention. Specific aims were (a) to determine if walking while working at a treadmill workstation affects selective attention and mental processing speed, and performance of simulated office work tasks involving fine motor movements (typing and mouse movements) and mathematical and verbal reasoning, and (b) To determine if using of a treadmill workstation favorably influences anthropometric, body composition, cardiovascular, metabolic, musculoskeletal, and mental stress variables in overweight and obese office workers. For the first aim, 20 participants completed tests to assess selective attention and processing speed, typing speed, mouse clicking/drag-and-drop speed, and GRE math and reading comprehension under seated and walking conditions. The seated condition produced significantly better results for mouse clicking (26.6 +3.0 vs. 28.2 +2.5 s) and drag-and-drop (40.3 +4.2 vs. 43.9 +2.5 s), typing (40.2 +9.1 vs. 36.9 +10.2 adjusted words/min), and math tests (71.4 +15.2 vs. 64.3 +13.4%). There were no significant differences between the 2 conditions in selective attention and processing speed or in reading comprehension. The 6 to 11% decrease in measures of fine motor skills and math problem solving could be eliminated through acclimation to the treadmill workstation. For the second aim, 12 overweight or obese office workers used a treadmill workstation for a period of 9 months. Weight, waist and hip circumferences, body composition, resting heart rate and blood pressure, lipid and metabolic profile, bone mineral density, physical activity, musculoskeletal discomfort, and mental stress variables were measured at baseline, 3 months, and at the end of the study. Significant reductions were observed in waist (by 5.5 cm) and hip (by 4.8 cm) circumferences, LDL (by 16 mg/dL), total cholesterol (by 15 mg/dL), and in the median time spent sitting/lying (p<0.05). Participants significantly increased the median times spent standing and stepping and their total steps/day by the end of the study (p<0.05). Additional energy expenditure from using a treadmill workstation may be sufficient to stop weight gain or even result in weight loss among overweight and obese office workers.

In an era of education policy dominated by the specter of No Child Left Behind, the purpose of this research is to offer a critique of this current period of education reform through a synthetic analysis of one of its key conceptual frameworks. That concept is the discourse of globalization as it is used in the popular discursive practices of public school reform. Often presented as an ontological assumption or conceptual norm [common sense], globalization (or the global economy) is a conceptual framework that commands a significant presence in policy debates and the popular discourse of education reform. It is a concept that is frequently employed in print and broadcast media as a justification for a wide variety of policy proposals from an equally diverse range of political actors and groups seeking to influence policy. It is the frequency in which the concept of globalization is employed that makes it an excellent candidate for that most fundamental of philosophic tasks: clarification. The aim of this work is to provide that critical read. This research will flesh out and bring philosophic clarity to the concept of globalization in the popular discourse of education reform as it is currently used in public debate. Employing a synthetic mode of analysis (or critical phenomenological method), I will clarify the concept of globalization as it is used in the popular discourse of education policy in order to accomplish two major tasks. First, this research will articulate the educational challenges constructed within this conceptual framework of 'globalization' as well as the structural, curricular, and pedagogical reforms linked to those challenges. The second major task for this research will be to examine those proposals through an inter-disciplinary analysis of empirical research in order to establish the internal consistency between the challenges articulated within the conceptual frame of globalization and the specific reform proposals constructed to meet those educational challenges. My goal in conducting this research is not to 'answer a question' but to create the necessary conditions for a reasoned debate over the educational challenges posed by globalization and how to meet those challenges in a manner that is practical and just.

The purpose of this study was to examine the interaction among measures of self-efficacy, locus of control, coping behaviors, and attitudes toward the education-employment connection on retention among college students at a small liberal arts college. Results indicated statistically significant differences between high and low intent to return to the college on the educationemployment attitude measures. Students who had greater comfort in selecting their academic major, believed that their academic work would lead to future employment and believed that their current academic work would lead to future success, had significantly higher intent to return to the institution the following semester. Limitations and implications of this finding are presented and directions for future research discussed.

Through a post-test only design, students’ knowledge and behavioral intentions toward their peers with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) were investigated. Students were shown a video that provided them with factual information about AD/HD. The experimental group viewed a video that contained descriptions of personal experiences (e.g., seductive information) in addition to factual information, while the control group received factual information only. Results show that adding descriptions of personal experiences to facts about AD/HD may be enough to enhance learning, but may not be enough to change behavioral intentions. On the knowledge scale, there is an interaction between the two knowledge-question categories (those addressed with facts only and facts with descriptions of personal experiences) and both experimental and control groups. This effect was such that the experimental group had a higher score on the knowledge-question category that addressed the descriptions of personal experiences than those addressed by facts only. Future researchers should focus on eliminating ceiling effects caused by inadequate measures and exploring the causal mechanisms behind the interaction.

Throughout the history of sport, a select number of individuals have emerged from their peers as superior coaches. We have come to know these individuals as the coaching greats: Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers, Pat Summitt of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, and John Wooden of the UCLA Bruins to name a few. The context of sport lends itself to the study of coaching greatness; however, no studies have directly explored this phenomenon. More often than not, society identifies coaches as “great” based on two criteria: win/loss records and public attention that is garnered through the media. This narrow definition limits the study of coaching greatness in two ways. First, the media focuses its coverage on high visibility sports and on coaches that work at higher levels of competition. Second, a winning record may not necessarily mean that a coach is great. As a result, we cannot rely on external resources (i.e., win/loss records and the media) to define greatness or to gain a thorough understanding of the factors that underlie great coaching. To truly explore this phenomenon, we must examine coaches from a variety of sports and competitive levels. If coaches are not winning championships or getting media attention, perhaps the only way to accurately determine their greatness is through the athletes that play for them. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to explore athlete experiences of great coaching. This was achieved by conducting a total of 18 in-depth phenomenological interviews with elite level athletes (9 female; 9 male) representing a variety of sports (i.e., baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, volleyball, and water polo). Participants ranged in age from 22 to 42 years. All interview transcripts were typed verbatim. Analyses of the transcripts revealed a total of 1,553 meaning units that were further grouped into sub-themes and general themes. This led to the development of a final thematic structure revealing six major dimensions that characterized these athletes’ experiences of great coaching: Coach Attributes, The Environment, Relationships, The System, Coaching Actions, and Influences.