This study explores how teachers think about the usefulness of shared knowledge they obtain from external sources, such as educational theories, research, professional programs, their colleagues, and how and why they use, modify, or did not use these resources. The author interviewed fifteen lower elementary teachers, asked them to generate examples of knowledge they had obtained elsewhere on their own, and gave them knowledge artifacts to evaluate. Teachers' self-described responses to these various resources suggested that their main goal was instrumental use of knowledge, but there were various ways of using it. In addition to instrumental uses, the teachers used shared knowledge to expand and change their perspectives on teaching and learning, used it as a source to develop and produce their own practical knowledge, used it to reflect on their practice, to confirm and justify their practice, and used it as a reminder of other ideas. The teachers also described varied types of instrumental uses: they used shared knowledge by replicating, specifying, extending, adding, reducing, and changing it. They either modified or did not use shared knowledge when they thought that there were reality constraints, when they thought the knowledge was not relevant to their contexts and students, when it did not fit their own philosophies and styles, or when it was perceived to be ineffective, or not valid.

Today, many students in higher education are considered digital natives - savvier and more experienced with technology than students in the past. In teacher preparation programs, teacher education students are commonly expected to demonstrate achievement of program goals and objectives and national teaching standards in a "portfolio." Gaining in popularity, the electronic portfolio delivers meaningful rich data in an electronic format. Much of the research on electronic portfolios has centered in higher education and has been primarily focused on the delivery of portfolios from the perspective of faculty and on the role of the portfolio in assessment from an administrative perspective. With limited research on the student voice in the process of the creation and implementation of electronic portfolio, this research studied the perceptions of the electronic portfolio from the end-user, recent graduates in teacher education. Using a qualitative framework, recent graduates from a teacher preparation program were interviewed regarding their electronic portfolio experience. Qualitative data were collected via structured interviews on the process, preparation, and utilization of the electronic portfolio during the teacher education program. Additionally, the electronic portfolios of those interviewed provided document analysis. Several themes emerged that centered on the repetitive narrative of the narrative rationale statements, the utilitarian purposes of the portfolio, the impact of the portfolio assessment on portfolio changes, and the reflective nature of portfolio construction. The implications of this research extend to the use of electronic portfolios in higher education across disciplines and into K-12 education.

Teaching, though viewed as one of the most honorable professions, also has the regrettable reputation of having one of the highest attrition rates of any occupation. The most often quoted statistics claim that 30% of new teachers will leave the profession within the first 3 years and 50% will be gone by the end of their fifth year in the classroom. This mass exodus comes at a great expense to the new teacher in the way of high university fees, lost time in training, and disillusionment. For school districts, the cost of turnover in teachers stretches the capacity of an already inadequate budget and diverts limited financial, personnel, and time resources. Students also lose out on the advantages of being taught by a practiced and experienced teacher. Many studies have been conducted to determine the disconnect between the expectations and the realities of teaching in the classroom. The purpose of this mixed-methods study is to add to the body of knowledge that asks, "Why are teachers leaving, and how do we get them to stay?" In this investigation, 20 beginning teachers who attended 1 of 6 local southern California universities were surveyed and interviewed in an attempt to discover how well (according to their own perceptions) their university preparation program actually set them up for success in the classroom. The findings suggest that while the university preparation programs are producing confident teachers in the areas of Curriculum, Communication, and Technology, the beginning teachers report ongoing challenges in the areas of Classroom Management and Discipline, Assessments, and working with Diverse Populations. Three key recommendations for the preparation programs would be to increase the length of the student-teaching assignment to a full year in order to provide maximum real world experience; secondly, develop better articulation between the university preparation programs and the Induction Programs so as to avoid repetition of services; and lastly, promote a philosophy in the local school districts that discourages the placement of beginning teachers in the toughest assignments.

In this sequential mixed methods study, teachers at three middle schools in a large urban school district were surveyed to determine the extent to which they applied learning strategies gathered from their professional reading to their classroom practice. Additionally, teachers were presented with examples of High Quality Professional Development, also known as Job-Embedded Professional Learning, indicating in which of those activities they had participated and in which activities they participated resulted in making changes to their classroom practice. Although teachers reported participating in activities that were descriptive of High Quality Professional Development and implementing changes in their classrooms, teachers were not familiar with the term High Quality Professional Development. Participants in follow up group interviews revealed that the professional development they received did not match the definition of High Quality Professional Development. Group interview responses supported survey findings that teachers were reading professional materials fewer minutes than found in earlier studies, but that more of their reading choices were about research in education. Teachers in this study applied strategies that they had read about to their classroom practice addressing their student' needs but were not aware of High Quality Professional Development as a result of their professional reading. Future studies could explore if teachers' participation in professional development activities changes when they include professional development in their professional reading choices. Research could also determine if those who plan professional development activities at schools are aware of definitions for High Quality Professional Development and how they ensure that teachers participate in professional development that matches its criteria.

My dissertation investigates teachers' thinking within that "oscillating place of difference" that is the classroom. I propose that teachers think and see differently in the classroom because they have practiced, like travelers, the dynamic thinking which makes them open to novelty, attentive to difference, reflective wayfarers on the paths of the world. I offer a threefold articulation of teaching into thinking, traveling and philosophizing. My guiding figure is that of teacher as traveler. / I focus on the teacher's way of seeing the familiar and the unfamiliar in the classroom. Reliance on teaching routines is considered as a sign of the need for the teacher to feel at home in the classroom, and as a response to the inherent uncertainty of the educational experience. Dewey's conception of reflective thinking is put at work to explain teachers thinking in the classroom: reflection is a twofold movement of the mind that at first focuses on the given particular of the experience, and that also expands and opens up the given to new possible interpretations. / The third chapter proposes to historicize the metaphor of teacher as traveler by considering Graeco-Roman thinking about travel and movement in relation to knowledge and wisdom. I consider the thesis that traveling is conducive to learning and wisdom. Herodotus explicitly connects travel to knowledge. The presence of itinerant teachers in Ancient Greece seems to reinforce this connection, as does the mythological representation of the ideal teacher as the centaur Chiron. I then posit an antithetical idea: that traveling be counterproductive because in travel the person is exposed to distraction, loss of focus, fragmentation. This antithesis is endorsed by Seneca's Epistles to Lucilius. / The dissertation moves to a re-examination of the figure of teacher as traveler in relation to the idea of home. The traveler reaches out and explores novelty and alterity in a meaning-making relation to where she is from. Similarly, the teacher thinks in the classroom by being attentive to newness and difference while keeping in mind the home or familiar: her routines, her curriculum, her tradition. / Montaigne's humanistic philosophizing is considered in its constitutive dynamism. The way to the knowledge of home-- and the wisdom deriving from it-- passes through the encounter with the Other, be it the indigenous inhabitant of the new world, or the neighboring country, or a different language. Like a traveler, a teacher retains her freedom to move and to chose the direction to her steps, and carries the necessary provisions and supplies: enough to get around, but not too many to weigh her down. The teacher as traveler can read the world of experience, can read her discipline, and can read her students by paying attention and knowing their pace. / The encounters that are at the heart of the educational experience, between teachers, students, works and things of the world, all concur to exercise the mind of a traveler: a mind that finds itself "at home" in the world.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Instructional Systems Technology, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-03, Section: A, page: 0909. Adviser: Thomas Schwen. "Title from dissertation home page (viewed March 21, 2007)".

<p> Are graduates of teacher preparation programs adequately prepared with the skills and knowledge to teach in the 21st century classroom? This study consisted of a quantitative content analysis to investigate the presence of 21st century knowledge and skills within a stratified random sample of teacher preparation programs in the United States as measured by the 21st Century Learning Framework. Based on the current literature, the researcher identified 21st century competencies: global awareness; digital competencies; critical thinking; collaboration; cross-cultural; communication; and problem solving. For null hypothesis numbers two through eight, the researcher determined how closely the institution's mission statements, course descriptions, syllabi, and other documents corresponded to the quantified 21st century framework. She then calculated the variance and tested the hypotheses using a z-test for a difference in proportion. For null hypothesis number one a z-test for difference in means between the ratings of the public teacher preparation program's sample and the private teacher preparation program's sample was used to determine if there were significant differences. In addition, the data was analyzed to determine if a statistical difference existed between public and private institutions' evidence of 21st century knowledge and skills. The results of the analysis supported the alternate hypothesis, noting evidence of 21st century knowledge and skills within the sample of teacher preparation programs. The analysis also supported the alternate hypotheses; there was evidence of digital literacy and critical thinking competencies in teacher preparation programs. The research did not support the alternate hypotheses related to global awareness, collaborative, cross-cultural, communication, and problem-solving competencies, thus revealing 21st century knowledge and skills were not evident in teacher preparation programs. Public institutions statistically scored higher on digital literacy skills while private institutions scored higher on critical thinking skills. Teacher preparation programs must make programmatic changes to better prepare graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary to effective lead in the 21st century classroom.</p>

<p> The attrition rate of teachers in an urban/suburban school district in a northeastern state caused schools to fail to attain annual yearly progress. To reverse this problem, administrators must understand the importance of their leadership and teacher efficacy and the need to nurture teachers to increase student performance. The purpose of this sequential mixed-methods study was to determine whether a relationship existed between leadership and efficacy. Total-population sampling was used to obtain 19 elementary and middle teachers who completed two surveys to examine the relationship between principals' behaviors (human relations, trust/decision making, instructional leadership, control, and conflict) and teacher efficacy (student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management). Survey data were analyzed using Pearson's product-moment correlations. In addition, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 3 teachers who had 5 or fewer years of teaching experience. These data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Quantitative findings indicated significant relationships between instructional leadership with teacher engagement and conflict with teacher engagement. Themes, based on the integrated model of teacher efficacy, revealed connections with the principal and support, guidance, and structure provided by the principal. Principals must focus on leadership behaviors that may increase teacher efficacy. These endeavors may contribute to positive social change when school leaders support teachers, who, in turn support students in their educational challenges to increase academic performance.</p>

<p> There is a deficiency of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) qualified college graduates to meet current workforce demands. Further, there is a weak pipeline of STEM qualified educators, which are needed to help produce the skilled candidates necessitated by these demands. One program aimed at creating highly qualified STEM teachers was the Raising the Bar for STEM Education in California: Preparing Elementary Teachers in a Model, Scalable, STEM-Rich Clinical Setting (Raising the Bar Program). The Raising the Bar professional development program focused on addressing deficiencies in elementary teachers&rsquo; pedagogical content knowledge, specifically in science. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the Raising the Bar professional development program on elementary master teachers&rsquo; sense of self-efficacy in teaching science. Research shows there is a clear link between self-efficacy and outcome expectancy to improve student outcomes in STEM fields. </p><p> This study utilized an explanatory mixed methods approach. Specifically, a quasi-experimental design was followed to collect, first, quantitative data, and then, qualitative data. The quantitative data consisted of survey data collected from each of two groups: the treatment group of master teachers participating in the Raising the Bar professional development series, and the control group of master teachers not participating in the professional development. The qualitative data was collected in the form of two focus group interviews, one from each group. Further, two university student teacher coordinators were interviewed to add depth and perspective throughout the entire professional development process. </p><p> Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed to determine the effects of the Raising the Bar professional development on teachers&rsquo; sense of self-efficacy in teaching science. The major research findings indicated that the STEM-rich professional development was successful in significantly increasing teachers&rsquo; sense of self-efficacy in teaching science. Further, the findings of the study demonstrated that there is a clear need for focus on science across the curriculum, a clear need for a science-specific professional development model, and a clear need for inclusion of specific content courses as a requirement in administrative credential programs. As a result of the research, a science-specific model of professional development was created. The proposed model suggests that the science-specific professional development must be aligned, intentional, differentiated, ongoing, and purposeful. </p><p> Recommendations based on the findings of this study include further exploration of the factors that positively affect self-efficacy in teaching science. Additionally, it is unclear if self-efficacy alone is sufficient to improve overall science teaching practice at the elementary level. Research specifically aimed at the factors affecting teachers&rsquo; sense of self-efficacy in teaching science can help determine the best course of action for teacher credentialing programs, professional development programs, and instructional leaders working in the field.</p>

Empirical work has demonstrated, at least to some degree, that alternatives to didacticism are useful in the classroom. However, other investigations have shown that didactic methods continue to dominate classroom instruction time. A genuine need exists for research aimed at identifying the source of the discrepancy between the methodologies lauded in current process-product educational literature and the observed teaching practice noted in classroom research. This investigation was conducted to determine how or if an instructor's belief system influences the manner in which that same instructor teaches. In order to adequately address that objective, three specific research questions were developed. First, this work examined the espoused beliefs of a small sample of practicing athletic training educators regarding the role of the teacher, the student, and the nature of instruction. This was accomplished through the use of qualitative research methods including semi-structured telephone interviews, written questionnaires, demographic data sheets, and stimulated recall sessions in which each participant viewed videotape of their own classroom instruction and discussed it with the principal investigator. Next, this investigation also analyzed classroom practice by observing those practicing athletic training educators as they taught in class. This was accomplished by videotaping each participant's classroom instruction during three hours of classroom instruction. Utilizing case studies assembled for each participant and a cross case analysis, this work also assessed the degree to which those espoused beliefs aligned with classroom practice. By utilizing these methods, this investigation indicates that beliefs do influence the manner in which individuals teach; however, other factors such as formal pedagogical training, experience, and job requirements may also influence the manifestation of demonstrated classroom practice, as well.