The purpose of this study was to assess the satisfaction level of public middle school principals in Virginia as measured by the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) and compare it to the earlier 1999 findings of Dr. JoeAnn Newby. The Long-Form of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) was used to determine the levels of job satisfaction for middle school principals in Virginia using twenty dimensions of the job and the following demographic variables: gender, age, experience, education, school location, school population, accreditation status, and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Specifically, this study sought to answer the following 5 questions: (1) What is the general satisfaction level of middle school principals in the state of Virginia as measured by the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ)? (2) Based on the demographic variables of gender, age, degree, experience, school location, and school population what is the general satisfaction level of middle school principals in Virginia? (3) What is the satisfaction level of each of the twenty dimensions of the job as measured by the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ)? (4) Based on the demographic variables of gender, age, degree, experience, school location, and school population, what is the satisfaction level of middle school principals for each of the twenty dimensions of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ)? (5) Based on the demographic variables of accreditation status and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) have the Virginia Standards of Learning and No Child Left Behind legislation influenced the general job satisfaction of middle school principals in Virginia? The 2006 Virginia Educational Directory was utilized to select the target population of 334 middle school principals. A mailing consisting of an Individual Information Sheet and the 1967 Long Form of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) was mailed to each principal. Demographic data pertaining to gender, age, degree, experience, school location, school population, accreditation status, and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) was collected and compared with the twenty dimensions of the MSQ. Statistical procedures including frequency charts, ANOVAs, and post hoc tests (Scheffe) were utilized to determine the statistical significance of the findings. / Ed. D.

There are two objects to which this book points: One- a process in which both the designer and the designed take part. The process was "sensed" in the making of the book itself, and the thesis was named. The book is at once an expression of this process, and a part of the process expressed. Its nature is a result of a relationship described as reciprocal. The other- a building. In designing an addition to the Blacksburg Virginia Middle School, thoughts about light and surface, ground and figure, earth and sky guided decisions made in the process. The result is regarded as both created and discovered. / Master of Architecture

The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine how teachers provide supervision to paraprofessionals in middle school classrooms. The numbers of paraprofessionals in school settings have continued to increase thus causing roles for both teachers and paraprofessionals to evolve. Teachers and paraprofessionals perceive the teacher's supervisory role differently (D'Aquanni, 1997; Milner, 1998; Mueller, 1997). Consequently, this descriptive case study examines how teachers provide supervision to paraprofessionals in middle school classrooms. Questions regarding the teacher's role as a supervisor are derived from Pickett's (1999) supervisory framework, which addresses five areas: planning, task delegating, role clarifying, performance monitoring, and on-the-job training and mentoring. The results of this study both supported Pickett's (1999) framework and added additional information that can enhance effective paraprofessional supervision in middle school classrooms. Results indicated that planning, formal or informal, does not exist, as it should, between teacher and paraprofessional teams in middle school classrooms. In addition, this study supported the notion that teachers are often uncomfortable delegating tasks to paraprofessionals. It also determined that roles remain unclear for both teachers and paraprofessionals. Many paraprofessionals feel they are not monitored at all by teachers, possibly due to the lack of role clarification. Finally, this study found that training for both paraprofessionals and their supervising teachers is minimal. / Ed. D.

It has been common for elementary teachers to read aloud to their students; however, it has not been so common in the middle school. The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to examine how middle school teachers and their students describe the use of read-alouds, including the teachers’ reasons for conducting read-alouds and the students’ descriptions of their experiences with them. Individual interviews and observations were conducted with two teachers and six students to gain the essence of their experiences with read-alouds. Results from this study indicated that what students gained from read-alouds matched the reasons their teachers utilized them. The students described their experiences as enjoyable, helpful to independent reading, motivating, engaging, and a learning opportunity which were all reasons their teachers stated for reading aloud. Findings in this study also indicated the fidelity with which read-alouds were implemented by teachers was impacted by district mandates and the pressure of preparing students for state tests. Results indicated students prospered both cognitively and affectively from listening to teachers read aloud. This study can be used to inform middle school teachers and administrators of the value of using read-alouds. Keywords: Read-Alouds, Middle School Teachers, Middle School Students, Middle School Reading

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-97). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-97). Also available on the Internet.

The literature on middle level education addresses teaching and learning in great detail. While research on elementary and high schools consistently supports the importance of the school principal, the middle level principal is not readily addressed. Relatively little empirical evidence exists that addresses the career orientation of the middle level principal. Knowing the career orientation of middle level principals is important for principal-training programs, school corporations who hire middle level administrators, and educators who are contemplating or preparing for entry into the middle level principalship.This study examined the career orientation of Indiana middle level principals, grades six (6) through eight (8), during the 1998-1999 school year. The population consisted of 215 principals; 194 (90.2%) participated in the study. The purpose of the study was to determine the career orientation of practicing middle level principals by examining three strands: career aspirations, focusing on career path and career goals; professional preparation, focusing on licensing, educational background, and perceptions of preparedness; and job satisfaction, focusing on work preference and satisfaction. The demographic variables of age, gender, school size, experience as an assistant principal, years of professional experience, geographic location, highest degree earned, and employment of middle school constructs were considered in light of the three strands.Research questions examined four areas of the Indiana middle level principal's career orientation: the extent to which the individuals 1) aspired to be a middle level principal, 2) followed a career path that included middle level experience, 3) were prepared for the middle level principalship, and 4) were satisfied being a middle level principal.Findings of the study indicated that Indiana's middle level principals did aspire to the middle level principalship. Prior to their first middle level principalship, the career path for most middle level principals included middle level experience. Although middle level courses were part of most degree programs, most of the participants believed that preparation for middle level administration was not adequate. Finally, Indiana's middle level principals were satisfied with their work and most considered the middle level principalship to be their ultimate career goal.Recommendations for further study are included. / Department of Educational Leadership

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Duquesne University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-98) and index.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1996. / Includes tables. Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Frank L. Smith Jr. Dissertation committee: Jeannette E. Fleischner. Sponsor: Frank L. Smith, Jr. Dissertation Committee: Jeannette E. Fleischner, . Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-167).

Thesis (MEd (Education))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / Since 2012, the poor literacy levels of intermediate phase (IP) learners have been a concern for officials in the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). Responding to the literacy crisis, the WCED has implemented the South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), along with various other literacy interventions, but in the West Coast District, IP learners’ writing skills remain poor. Focusing on the West Coast District, this thesis sheds light on the implementation of the writing-instruction practices prescribed by CAPS: specifically, the implementation of “shared writing” as a scaffolding method for teaching writing to learners. The thesis maps the theoretical and conceptual framework of the writing process, with an emphasis on shared writing. In particular, it discusses Vygotsky’s and Piaget’s ideas on social-cognitive development and scaffolding. The gradual release of responsibility (GRR) and balanced language approach (BLA) instruction models propose that a competent adult should interactively model the writing process to learners before group writing (practice) and independent writing (assessment) are attempted. While these stages of instruction are included in CAPS, this study investigated the extent of their implementation. Current literature in the field of writing instruction foregrounds the concepts of “thinking aloud” and “shared pen”, according to which the teacher and the learner co-compose a text, allowing learners to become competent writers. In this study, quantitative and qualitative research methods were used to describe and understand West Coast District IP Afrikaans Home Language (HL) teachers’ perceptions of their use of shared writing to teach the writing process. Data collection consisted of quantitative and qualitative questionnaires, as well as interviews, with results converted into percentages. Subsequent data analysis disclosed the patterns, strengths, and weaknesses experienced by IP Afrikaans HL teachers in the West Coast District. Current IP writing-instruction practices can provide the South African Department of Basic Education (DBE) with valuable insights into the implementation of shared writing, and of CAPS as a whole.