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.

The concept of middle level schooling has existed in the United States since the early 1900s. During the early 1960s, middle level schools were organized to meet the unique developmental needs of early adolescents. Yet, special training, preparation and/or certification for aspiring teachers who wish to work at this level are not available in the majority of states. Many state licensing agencies provide either elementary or secondary certification, which historically was believed to be adequate for middle level teaching. This study investigates the special preparation and training needs of middle level teachers as perceived by teachers and administrators in a suburban school district which was involved for several years in the implementation of innovative practices for middle schools. Middle level educators in this district had received in-service training and were engaged in considerable discussions on research related to effective middle schools. Thirty teachers and 10 administrators were surveyed about their own levels of preparation and their concepts of the elements of model preparation programs for middle school teachers. In a follow-up interview process, including a sample of the survey respondents, interviewees discussed in-depth their district's middle school programs; the impact of a state grant focusing on middle school organizational and instructional issues; and their perceptions about staff development needs of middle school personnel that were not being addressed. The data obtained through survey responses, interviews, and examination of district documents showed that the majority of the sample personnel received their training in middle school concept areas through formal in-service opportunities and/or on the job experience. Furthermore, a majority of the participants endorsed and expressed a need for the following: a special preparation program for middle school teachers containing field experience at the middle level; training in the unique developmental needs of the early adolescent; and, special training in a variety of instructional strategies. Results also indicated that the sample personnel were not aware of the school district's own studies on middle level schooling and were dissatisfied with the current programs, which they felt had suffered as a result of a lack of effective leadership at the district and building levels.

Time is the educational resource educators most desire, but which is in shortest supply. Educators cannot add more days to the 12-month calendar year, or minutes to the day. Whatever control is to be had over the calendar and clock rests in the way time is managed by those in the position of decision-maker. This study examined the change in one middle school's schedule, from a traditional seven period to a four period extended block, as it related to teacher perceptions about time for staff development, instructional preparation, and staff collaboration. Additionally, the study examined teacher perceptions regarding student achievement, student contact overload, and school climate as a result of the change in the school schedule. Subjects for the study were drawn from practicing classroom teachers and other licensed personnel employed at the site school. Two research instruments, the School Schedule Questionnaire Survey and School Schedule Interview Survey, were used to gather data. The School Schedule Questionnaire Survey used a Likert Scale, which asked each subject to respond to a series of statements by indicating whether they strongly agreed, agreed, were undecided, disagreed, or strongly disagreed. This study concludes that teacher perceptions about time available for staff development, instructional preparation, and staff collaboration are greatly influenced by their perceptions about the degree to which they control that time, and can make decisions about its use. It also concludes that teacher perceptions about student achievement is difficult to assess without quantitative measures, and that although teachers felt the schedule had a positive impact on student achievement, most were concerned about the lack of objective measures when making such an assessment. And finally, it concluded that class size may not be the determining measure to assess teacher perceptions about student contact overload, that the total number of students a teacher comes into contact with each day has a greater impact on their perception in this area. / Graduation date: 1999

As a result of the calls for reform in mathematics education and the ever-changing nature of mathematics, today's teachers face the challenge of teaching unfamiliar content in ways that are equally unfamiliar. In view of this challenge, the purpose of this study was to investigate middle school teachers' subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge of probability and its relationship to the teaching of probability. The study also explored the nature of the instructional tasks and classroom discourse during probability instruction. Case study methodology was used to examine the knowledge and practice of 4 middle school teachers. A pre-observation interview assessed the teachers' subject matter knowledge of probability. The teachers were then observed as they taught probability. Post-observation interviews further explored teacher knowledge and its relationship to teaching practice. Data sources included interview transcripts, observational field notes, video and audiotapes of classroom instruction, and written instructional documents. Individual case studies were written describing the teachers' background and probability instruction. Cross-case analyses compared and contrasted the cases in response to the research questions. The results of this study indicate the teachers generally (a) lacked an explicit and connected knowledge of probability content, (b) held traditional views about mathematics and the learning and teaching of mathematics, (c) lacked an understanding of the "big ideas" to be emphasized in probability instruction, (d) lacked knowledge of students' possible conceptions and misconceptions, (e) lacked the knowledge and skills needed to orchestrate discourse in ways that promoted students' higher level learning, and (f) lacked an integrated understanding of the nature of the reform. One teacher captured the essence of the reform effort in her probability instruction; the other 3 teachers generally fell short of the goal despite their efforts to implement aspects of the reform. Although students were actively involved in exploring probability content through the use of games, simulations, and other hands-on instructional tasks, the cognitive level of the tasks and discourse was limited by the nature of instruction. The findings of this study have implications for mathematics education reform, preservice teacher preparation, staff development, and curriculum development. / Graduation date: 1998

This study examined the values, competencies, and goals of educators related to preventing drug abuse. Its purpose was to develop a new theory to define the crisis moral community among the educators: a theory which linked the primary variables (values, competencies, and goals) in such a way as to reveal their relationships. Twenty rural educators who had participated in a drug education training program, were surveyed using two instruments: one which examined their perceived competencies to conduct drug education and one which examined their values related to four imagined conflict situations. The relationship between the two assessments linked the teachers' values to their perceived level of competency and the goal of their drug education program. The face value of the data permitted the development of a finer description of the three linked variables. Not only do the variables covary; they also transform as they move from simple to complex (values), random to purposeful (competencies), and information-only to enfranchisement (goals). The primary result supports a crisis among the educators surveyed. The substantive conclusion is the development of enfranchisement theory as a higher order method for preventing drug abuse. Enfranchisement theory establishes a critical horizon that explains the failure of many drug education programs (DARE, for example) and proposes a values set, level of educator competency, and program goals for effective drug education. / Graduation date: 1995

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Baylor University, 2005. / Includes bibliographic notes (p. 210-220).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 195-205). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-89). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-89). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-113).