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Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The aim of the study was to investigate the nature of biology practical work and associated discourses in two Namibian secondary schools. The purposive sample consisted of three biology teachers and 36 grade 11 students who enrolled for NSSC Higher- and Ordinary-level biology in 2004 and 2005. The study adopted a descriptive and an in-depth qualitative design involving the use of interviews and observation schedules (Video Observation Quoting Schedules-VOQS). The quality of VOQS instruments were established through a panel of independent experts who critically assessed the quality of the items and later discussed to reach consensus. Their rating of the items helped in the establishment of interrater reliability.

Administrators and teachers are concerned that English Language Learners (ELLs) in an urban elementary school in a southern part of the United States are not meeting required state standards in reading. Teachers have indicated that they do not always know how to differentiate instruction for ELLs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate teachers' implementation of differentiated instruction for ELLs. This research study was guided by the conceptual framework of Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and Tomlinson's theory of implementing differentiated instruction. The research questions investigated teachers' perceptions of differentiated instruction and their professional development for mediating instruction for ELLs. Six teachers from Grades 1 to 3 who teach ELLs with limited English-speaking ability and 2 ELL teachers participated in the study. Data were collected from transcribed interviews, open-ended surveys, and lesson plans. Inductive analysis was used to identify themes and commonalities within the collected data. The major themes included that differentiation is crucial for ELL instruction, teachers use varied instructional strategies to meet ELLs' individual needs, and teachers want purposeful and relevant professional development to meet ELLs' academic needs. The findings indicated a need for a professional development that include a systematic approach to differentiated instructional strategies to improve academic achievement for ELLs. A 3-day professional development was designed. The findings of this study and professional development may contribute to positive social change by increasing teachers' use of instructional strategies that align with the district's guidelines to improve learning and achievement for ELLs.

Historically, identifying solutions to the achievement gap between Black and White students has plagued education. Twenty-first century challenges have emerged to include an achievement gap between Black and Hispanic students in literacy as early as 4th grade. Limited research exists on the use of English language learner (ELL) instructional strategies with Black standard English learners (SELs). This project study narrows the gap in previous research. The goal was to use a collective case study approach to investigate the professional development needs of the Northeast School District through the perspective of 5 Title I, ELL, kindergarten through sixth-grade elementary school principals. Social constructivism guided the theoretical framework. The research questions focused on principals' perceptions of the effect of ELL strategies on Hispanic ELL literacy rates and the benefits of systemic professional development on using ELL strategies for Black SELs. Data were collected from the principals through a focus group discussion and 5 semi-structured interviews. The data were then transcribed and coded to establish themes, based on the participants' perceptions. The major themes centered on the need for teachers to understand and incorporate their student culture in lessons through cultural proficiency; the instructional benefits for Black SELs in ELL classrooms; and the importance of consistent, applicable, systemic professional development. School districts may use these findings results to make decisions on systemic professional development for elementary school administrators and teachers, with positive results for Black SEL proficiency in literacy.

Walden University College of Education This is to certify that the doctoral study by Joye Elfreda Henry has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Gloria Jacobs, Committee Chairperson, Education Faculty Dr. Jerita Whaley, Committee Member, Education Faculty Dr. Mark Earley, University Reviewer, Education Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2018

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The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine specific prekindergarten- through 8th-grade reading programs, instructional best practices, academic interventions, and educational activities that are perceived as successful practices in four high achieving schools within the parameters of Northeast Tennessee. This study was accomplished through a protocol of open-ended interviews with 15 participants comprised of 4 school principals, 4 primary reading teachers, 4 intermediate reading teachers, 2 Title I reading specialists, and 1 district language arts coordinator. Additionally, school-specific documentation and basal reading programs were reviewed to triangulate the findings of this investigation. The findings from this study suggested that the educational perceptions among Title I and nonTitle I participants as well as the perceptions among school principals, reading teachers, and reading specialists were parallel. In general the participants' perceptions held in common were associated with frequent opportunities for classroom reading practice; the incorporation of self-selected literature; the appropriation of differentiated instruction; a blending of reading, writing, and grammar; strategic progress monitoring through formative assessment checkpoints; and the implications of summative assessment data. Major recommendations from this study included the consideration of providing students with frequent and consistent classroom reading time; opportunities for frequent nonfiction reading assignments; the provision of self-selected literature; the appropriation of a blended approach to reading, writing, and grammar; and the implementation of differentiated instruction within the prekindergarten- through 8th-grade reading classroom.

Despite an intense focus and considerable financial commitment to remediate nonproficient readers in high school, the large suburban school district that was the target of this study had been unable to consistently improve student achievement in the lowest 25% of students as measured by outcomes on the FCAT Reading. Scholarly literature on high school reading had focused mostly on evaluation of curriculum rather than on teacher practices. A clear understanding of these differences in practice will inform future decisions related to staffing, scheduling, and professional learning. This study sought to identify the underlying professional and instructional differences between the most effective and least effective teachers of tenth grade intensive reading courses through teacher and principal/assistant principal surveys along with teacher evaluation data. This study revealed with regards to a teacher’s preparation to teach reading (research question one), that years of experience in the classroom and years of experience as a high school reading teacher were the only significant factors that influenced a teacher’s effectiveness. For research questions two and three; which had to do with the beliefs and professional practices of the teacher, the educationally relevant belief that the more effective teachers were more confident about their abilities than their less effective peers was noted. Research question four provided the data with regards to the general classroom teaching strategies and the adolescent reading strategies the effective teachers employed. This data revealed that the more effective teachers implemented posting and communicating daily and long term learning goals more frequently than their less effective peers. In addition, the general classroom teaching practices of efficient use of iii learning time, establishing and maintaining classroom routines, and checking for understanding proved to be educationally relevant. Additionally, the adolescent reading strategies of sustained silent reading, paired/partner readings, and students reading oneon-one with teacher, were educationally relevant as well. Finally, in regards to research question five, it was of statistical significance that administrators valued the use of the general classroom teaching strategy of posting and communicating daily and long term learning goals and were able to recognize the use of this strategy when observing and evaluating the teachers.

<p>This qualitative study was conducted to understand the instructional strategies used by high school integrated STEM (iSTEM) teachers to apply real-world problem solving in their classrooms in the state of Indiana. The problem addressed by this study was the need to understand the instructional strategies employed by iSTEM teachers in their classrooms. Using a basic qualitative approach, data was collected through teacher interviews, classroom observations, and documents. The thematic analysis revealed several themes: (a) there is no single instructional strategy, but teachers adapt their strategies to the context, (b) the importance of preparation using various sources and building on student’s prior knowledge, (c) a focus on asking "why" questions as a priority, (d) the necessity of making group work tangible, (e) the use of modeling as a common strategy, including data collection and analysis, sketching and documentation, (f) the promotion of student independence by being aware and performing tasks independently, (g) the integration of real-world issues to relate learning to student lives, and (h) the challenges posed by time and diversity of student abilities. These findings suggest that iSTEM teachers should be flexible in their approach and emphasize preparation, questioning, modeling, group work, and real-world connections to improve student learning in an integrated STEM approach. The findings contribute to the existing literature on iSTEM teaching and have implications for iSTEM teachers, school administrators, and policymakers. The findings of this study can inform professional development programs for iSTEM teachers and can help school administrators design collaborative and problem-solving learning environments. Lastly, policymakers can use the findings to develop policies that promote the integration of real-world problem-solving into STEM education, thereby contributing to the development of a workforce that is prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century.</p>

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