Behavioral and academic outcomes differ for students by race, ability, and gender within the K-12 public education system. Moreover, striking gaps exist at the intersection of race, ability, and gender, despite the similarity in severity and frequency of behavior between groups. Few studies, however, have examined the educational mechanisms that contribute to these gaps. Despite this, the scientific literature? shows that when educators have high expectations, students are more likely to be successful academically and behaviorally. Therefore, this study examines the inverse of this relationship by recognizing that biases likely influence behavior and academic student outcomes through expectancy bias for certain groups of students. The present study utilizes an intersectional framework of disability studies and critical race theory (DisCrit) to examine preservice educator expectations of behavior and academic outcomes of a hypothetical student at the intersection of student race, ability, and gender using a factorial vignette experimental design. Analyses consisted of factorial multivariate analyses of main and interaction effects including covariates for social desirability, tolerance, severity, and demographic characteristics. Results indicated significant and meaningful differences in expectations of behavior and academic experiences by race and ability. However, interaction effects were not detected. Implications and limitations of this study are discussed.

This study examined the relationship between the level of implementation of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) approach to service delivery in schools and educators’ beliefs regarding MTSS, their perceptions of MTSS practices in their schools, and student growth. The study used data from the Florida Problem Solving/Response to Intervention Project. Thirty-four pilot schools in seven school districts across the state of Florida were provided intensive coaching, training, and technical assistance in implementing the MTSS service delivery model for three years. The current study focused on the final year of support. Data collected as part of the project’s program evaluation model were used to examine the relationships between study variables. Multiple regressions were conducted to determine the relationship between the level of implementation of MTSS and the study’s dependent variables. Findings indicated that both Infrastructure and Implementation predicted educator beliefs about Data-Based Decision Making (DBDM), while Implementation alone predicted educator beliefs about the Academic Ability and Performance of Students with Disabilities (SWD). Furthermore, the overall regression model predicted educator perceptions of practices applied to both Academic and Behavior Content; however, none of the individual predictors were significantly related to either dependent measure. No other study dependent variables were significantly predicted by the level of MTSS implementation. Implications for practice and research involve the need for larger scale studies of MTSS implementation and the importance of researchers and practitioners utilizing reliable and valid measures to monitor implementation efforts.

No description available.

In the last 20 years, the number of incidents involving police use of force (UOF) has nearly doubled in Canada (Marcoux & Nicholson, 2018). There have been at least 460 documented fatal police encounters across Canada between the years 2000 and 2017 and at least 1,860 police UOF investigations specifically in Ontario (Dunn, 2018; Ontario Human Rights Commission, 2018). According to a 2019 annual report by Ottawa Police Service (OPS, 2019), a municipal police service in Ontario, between the years 2018 and 2019, OPS reported a 21% decrease (from 767 to 607) of applications of force among officers and a 15% increase (from 529 to 609) of UOF reports. Although the latter data is relevant to Ottawa, to better understand and potentially minimize negative police-civilian encounters, both specifically and on a larger scale, this Canadian-focused study centers on policing as well as the context at OPS and explores the extent to which professional education (PE) influences professional practice (PP). It does so by reviewing OPS’s UOF training and gathering perspectives from patrol officers and UOF educators. Using a qualitative instrumental case study (QICS) research design, the study analyzes the UOF training materials that OPS used to certify and recertify officers between the years 2010 and 2021. It also incorporates semi-structured interviews with officers and educators to gather insights on how participants define UOF, their perspectives on their pre-service and in-service training, as well as how they relate their PE to their police-civilian encounters, particularly when they used or did not use force. A document analysis of the data revealed that OPS’s UOF training uses both traditional as well as progressive and collaborative approaches to educate and relate to officers. Such approaches also aim to promote appropriate communication and de-escalation skills. At the same time, the learning objectives found in the lesson plans lack the detail needed to signify that officers have achieved the intended goal of the training. Among the important themes that emerged from the interviews were 1) the differences in priorities, between the officers and educators, concerning UOF training, 2) the value that officers place on their instructors’ experiences, 3) the challenges that educators face while adhering to provincial expectations, and 4) the integral role that training and life experiences play during police-civilian encounters. The relevance of social media was another significant theme that emerged within the study, particularly considering the participants’ views on the current social climate of policing (i.e., how the public perceives the police as well as the contentious debate about defunding the police). With limited research on police perspectives and issues specific to policing in Canada, the present study, by virtue of access to OPS’s training materials, patrol officers and UOF instructors, seeks to initiate rich and meaningful discussions about PE and PP. It also aims to encourage reflection among educators, policy-makers and society so as to address and deepen our understanding of issues related to education.

The purpose of this study is to examine perceptions regarding digital game-based teachingand the extent to which teachers of English in Sweden have been prepared to use thisapproach. The basis for this study is the research on the effects of digital games for language learning and the perceived lack of the incorporation of these in teaching, creating a gap between student interests and teaching methods. Therefore, this study investigates the approach of teacher educators who are involved in the design of teacher training programs, as well as the perceptions of in-service teachers at secondary and upper secondary schools in Sweden. In-depth interviews and an online questionnaire were used to gather relevant data. The findings show that all teacher educators who were interviewed found digital game-based teaching to be a relevant approach, but they noted that it is not incorporated in their teacher training courses to a sufficient extent. Additionally, the great majority of in-service teachers did not perceive that they received any education on how to use digital games or game elements in their teaching, while most of them found it to be relevant and had used it to some extent. These results would indicate that digital game-based teaching should be integrated to a greater extent in teacher training programs, and steps should be taken to ensure that current research on the topic reaches the teachers out in the field.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to investigate educator perceptions of the implementation of Integrated Quality Management Systems (IQMS) in Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges in South Africa. Quality in education is presently put more firmly on the agenda not withstanding the fact that a vast range of literature is available to support the process of improving the quality in education. The department of education has made many attempts to introduce an effective appraisal system in support of quality education only to find that the previous appraisal systems were rejected by the educator force for the mere fact that it was perceived as a form of inspection and supervision rather than for development purposes. This study also focuses on a review of the integrated quality management system (IQMS), of its purpose, guidelines and its subsequent implementation in FET colleges in South Africa in 2004. The primary focus of the discussion is on the processes, the methods, the guiding principles and the pitfalls of the implementation of quality management systems in educational organizations To guide this discussion literature reviews on quality, quality education, quality management and quality management systems were undertaken. The empirical study entailed gleaning information from a structured questionnaire which was distributed to a sample group of lecturers at Sedibeng College for FET in the Gauteng Province. The questions were structured in a manner to gain information about the understanding of the operational principles of quality management, the aims and guiding principles of IQMS, the importance of quality control and the external relationships of the college. The major finding emanating from this study was that there was a need for intensive training in IQMS, thus a management's strategy for ensuring that IQMS is effectively implemented was proposed. The overall recommendation arising from this study includes ensuring that management designs a quality manual to guide the process of quality assurance. / Thesis (M.Ed. (Education Management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

The purpose of this study was to investigate educator perceptions of the implementation of Integrated Quality Management Systems (IQMS) in Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges in South Africa. Quality in education is presently put more firmly on the agenda not withstanding the fact that a vast range of literature is available to support the process of improving the quality in education. The department of education has made many attempts to introduce an effective appraisal system in support of quality education only to find that the previous appraisal systems were rejected by the educator force for the mere fact that it was perceived as a form of inspection and supervision rather than for development purposes. This study also focuses on a review of the integrated quality management system (IQMS), of its purpose, guidelines and its subsequent implementation in FET colleges in South Africa in 2004. The primary focus of the discussion is on the processes, the methods, the guiding principles and the pitfalls of the implementation of quality management systems in educational organizations To guide this discussion literature reviews on quality, quality education, quality management and quality management systems were undertaken. The empirical study entailed gleaning information from a structured questionnaire which was distributed to a sample group of lecturers at Sedibeng College for FET in the Gauteng Province. The questions were structured in a manner to gain information about the understanding of the operational principles of quality management, the aims and guiding principles of IQMS, the importance of quality control and the external relationships of the college. The major finding emanating from this study was that there was a need for intensive training in IQMS, thus a management's strategy for ensuring that IQMS is effectively implemented was proposed. The overall recommendation arising from this study includes ensuring that management designs a quality manual to guide the process of quality assurance. / Thesis (M.Ed. (Education Management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

No description available.

It is generally agreed that during the apartheid era secondary school History education was perceived as either an indispensible aid toward furthering the National Party’s social and political programme of separate development by some sections of the South African community or as an insidious form of indoctrination by other sections of the community. One of the contentions of this thesis is that this form of apology or indoctrination was less successful than is generally believed. The white English and Afrikaans-speaking sections of the community, although practising very different cultures shared many perceptions, including the perception that secondary school History education was less important than was the study of other subjects. The result was that at least since the 1960s, History was a subject in decline at most South African white secondary schools. History education enjoyed a mixed reception on the part of black secondary school educators during the apartheid era although the majority of black secondary school educators and learners, particularly after the 1976 Soweto Uprising, rejected the subject as a gross misrepresentation of historical record. The demise of History as a secondary school subject during the post-apartheid era is well documented. The case is made that this is due to factors such as poor teaching and the tendency by school administrations to marginalise the subject. My own 2008 and 2012 research indicates that while many South African adults display a negative attitude toward secondary school History education, secondary school learners have a far more positive outlook. The finding of this thesis is that the future for History education in South Africa is not as bleak as many imagine it appears to be. / History / D. Litt. et Phil. (History)