M.Ed. / The core of this study is to review and analyse the management and effectiveness of induction processes for newly-appointed educators as they adjust to their entry into the teaching profession. The study employed a quantitative research method. The aim of the research study was to investigate the perceptions of educators with regard to the management of induction for newly-appointed educators. The study was prompted by the by the need to address challenges arising from a lack of a rigorous induction programme within the Ekurhuleni West District schools. These challenges are in line with the political changes that have taken place in South Africa. From the literature review it is evident that managers are having difficulties in adequately preparing and equipping newly appointed educators for the realities of the teaching profession which include, limited support for educators, unacceptable discipline among learners, overcrowded classes and poor salaries. This research indicates that it is necessary to support educators in a personal capacity in their absorption into the teaching profession. Furthermore, the literature study revealed that educators who are not properly inducted will experience adjustment difficulties at schools which may lead to frustration and loss of confidence and, in some instances, to resignation. It is thus the recommendation of this study that educators be inducted to avoid these unpleasant experiences as well as to prepare a career development path that is customised to individual needs. The researcher used structured questionnaires to gather data. The questionnaire was distributed to 20 schools in the Ekurhuleni West District to determine educators’ perceptions concerning induction. The finding was that, at present, there is no formal system to induct educators in South Africa and the majority of school management teams lack the capacity to induct educators.The recommendation was that school management teams must be trained on how to provide induction, and the workloads of school management teams need to be reduced. There is a need for further research on the induction programmes for Department of Education officials. / Dr.L.N Conley

Urban schools exist within everyday parlance as an ongoing quandary within American public schools. However, historical, social, cultural, and discursive meanings intersect and compose urban school contexts (re)producing what is known and understandable. Early–career teachers work within these intersections. How they work within and think about these intersections influence their teaching and classroom pedagogical practices. In other words, urban school discourses influence and impact curriculum, which is navigated and mediated by early–career teachers. Through Critical Race Theory and poststructural lenses, this research interrogates normative assumptions and interpretations undergirding these historical (re)productions which often constitute the families and students within these school communities. I conducted this study through individual interviews and a focus group session with six teachers who graduated from a graduate–level, university–based Urban Teacher Residency teacher preparation program and who have worked completed between three to six years as teachers in urban school settings. By focusing on the lived experiences of these early–career teachers, this study contributes to teacher education programs and to in–service induction teaching. These early–career teachers navigate district– and school–level discourses, both professionally in how they conduct their classrooms and personally in how they process their emotional lives. They continuously seek ways in which to maintain their vision for social justice and equity within urban school settings and to maintain an ethic of care for their students. Therefore, the analysis includes my reading and interpretation of teacher and student discourses within these conversations. Throughout these interpretations, I write through, integrate, and interrogate my own experiences and positionalities as an African–American woman, former student, and educator in urban school contexts. Finally, I construct a counter–story in which the teachers grapple with and support an ethic of care for their students. Counter–stories center the voices and experiences of teachers of color as they attend to systemic school inequalities. This research provides a platform for examining and revising the oft–repeated stories of urban schools so that they might become vehicles for transforming structural and cultural norms that have subordinated access and equity for all students, and especially in the context of urban schools, students of color.

The purpose of this research was to identify the factors which lend to and negatively impact student success, taking a specific look at the Pomona area and tracking the experiences of one first-year teacher and three of their students throughout an entire academic year in the charter school setting. Beginning with research on the experiences and beliefs which motivated an individual teacher to join the field of education, it then assesses how the academic and cultural backgrounds of three different students lend to their overall identity and school success. The latter research identifies factors within the city itself which affect school wide culture, testing performance, student and staff retention rates, and the overall student classroom experience. A final review of the individual teacher experience concludes that student growth directly relates to an increase in teacher understanding of lesson planning and classroom structuring, but factors such as administration, school culture, and low teacher retention will negatively impact student academic and emotional growth.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 166-189).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2001. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 181-190). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Curriculum & Instruction. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Curriculum and Instruction. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

The aim of this study was to examine first year teachers' experiences incorporating instructional technology into their teaching through the lens of Technology-Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Technology-Pedagogical Content Knowledge is a fairly new concept drawn from the concept of Pedagogical Content Knowledge, originating with Shulman. Participating teachers were graduates of a Southwestern University's College of Education laptop initiative that required all College of Education students to purchase a laptop. The laptop was used throughout their pre-service teaching course work. The first graduating cohort of this initiative was surveyed during their first full year of teaching. Ten of those surveyed then participated in interviews and journal writing related to their technology integration experiences. Results indicated that for the most part these new teachers are not facing access and support related barriers to technology use, though time constraints are still an issue. Results also indicated that the teachers are using technology in their instructional activities, and are continuing to grow in their technology integration skills. The basis in technology use from their College of Education combined with the technology-supportive school atmosphere in which they teach appears to be an environment that is fostering teachers who are willing to experiment with technology integration and are planning how to integrate it more in the coming school year. Their understanding of the connections between technology, content and pedagogy, their t-PCK, are developing and transforming. Impact on the field includes a greater understanding of how teachers come to design lessons for technology integration as well as a greater understanding of how graduates from teacher preparation programs with an emphasis on technology integration are able to apply their skills upon entering the teaching field. / text

The focus of the present study was to determine the most effective assessment method to demonstrate beginning teacher competency as perceived by school administrators, teacher education faculty, and practicing teachers in Indiana. Earlier studies examined the compelling reasons why traditional assessments (such as Praxis I and II) were developed and the arguments that supported or negated their continued use. Research relating to nontraditional or alternative assessment (Assessment Portfolio) uncovered a different perspective toward teacher evaluation. The literature produced examples of portfolios used at a variety of levels to instruct and assess. Finally, several studies focused on the competencies needed by beginning teachers. The present study sought to investigate the perceptions of three categories of education experts as demonstrated by their selection of the assessment method(s) for each INTASC disposition competency. In addition, each participants' years of experience were included to allow a comparison between the method selected and the level of experience.Participants from 25 colleges and universities plus 119 school corporations (N=372) responded to the Beginning Teacher Competency Assessment Survey. The survey consisted of thirty-seven disposition competencies from the newly adopted INTASC Standards and a choice of one of the following assessment methods: Praxis, Indiana Beginning Teacher Internship Program, Assessment Portfolio, or None. Respondents were asked to select the best assessment method to provide evidence of each competency.The assessment method selected most frequently was the Indiana Beginning Internship Program (66%). Next, the Assessment Portfolio was selected by an overall 27%. Praxis was selected least by the participants (7%). Results revealed teacher education faculty were more likely to select the portfolio than either school administrators or practicing teachers for specific disposition competencies. No empirical evidence indicated that the level of experience influenced the assessment selection. Finally, differences within each category in relation to assessment method selection could not be computed through an interactive nominal logistical regression due to the low number of Praxis responses. However, a simple cross tabulated analysis suggested several within group differences. The meaningful differences within each category were between the Indiana Beginning Teacher Internship Program and the Assessment Portfolio based on four or more years of experience. / Department of Special Education

Extant research describes the need for special education training in teacher training institutions. Research also states the importance of listening to the experiences of new teachers to inform best practice of teacher education training; however, there is a paucity of research examining the needs of new teachers to inform special education training for generalist preservice teachers. This phenomenologically informed study explores the experiences of new teachers in inclusive classrooms to gain an understanding of the knowledge and experiences new teachers need. The participants include seven new teachers who teach in inclusive classrooms across BC. All data was gathered through semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed according to phenomenological procedures with the goal of understanding the essence of experience for these new teachers in their inclusive classrooms. Based on the new teachers' experiences, initial recommendations are provided for teacher training institutions and directions for further research are also discussed.