Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Purpose: The study was a qualitative evaluation on the impact of executive coaching as an intervention in improving the leadership capabilities of school principals. It was a pilot study of underperforming schools selected by the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) project. The coaching intervention provided for one-on-one coaching for school principals and team coaching. The target group was thirty school principals, selected from underperforming primary and secondary schools in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. The GDE determined that school leaders and their teams, besides being confronted with many challenges of overcrowding and poor infrastructure, lack leadership capability and this negatively affects the quality of teaching and management of the schools. Compared to other leadership coaching interventions in schools in South Africa, this coaching intervention included team coaching (the management teams were coached with their principals), making it a unique feature of this coaching intervention. Design/methodology/approach: The evaluation study used qualitative methodology with an empirical design; based on an interpretative and inductive approach. The research focused on behavioural change, level three of Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model (1959). The participants’ reactions to the coaching intervention were also sought (level one of Kirkpatrick’ evaluation model). The sample used came from thirty underperforming schools identified by GDE using specific criteria. The main sample consisted of four principals from schools allocated to the researcher who was also one of the coaches. A supplementary sample of two principals from the same cohort was selected, but the researcher did not coach these. Landelahni Leadership Development Company (LLD), the contracted consultant for the project, selected the coaches. The data collected were 360-degree feedback, field notes from the coach and semi-structured interviews. The three data types were used to triangulate for control of error, as the researcher was an insider. Findings: The main findings demonstrated a positive impact of the executive coaching on the leadership capability of the school principals. The three sources of data in sample X (principals coached by the researcher) are complementary and indicated a positive behavioural shift and change in all four principals, confirmed by sample A (the principals not coached by the researcher), also indicating a positive behavioural shift in the interview data. The positive behavioural change addressed level three of Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model (1959). Overall, the coaching intervention raised awareness and behavioural change relating to management such as increased delegation and working more with their teams. Participants’ responses were positive with all six principals and teams recommended the continuation of the intervention and rollout to other schools. However, the findings indicate the principals still need to make more changes in their leadership approach. The key areas of concern are teaching deliverables and the facilitation of team dynamics; for example, conflict management. v The extent of the behavioural change was limited by the short duration of the coaching intervention. Research limitations: The key limitation is the fact that the researcher was the coach for this coaching intervention and an insider researcher. As typical of qualitative research, the sample was small and therefore the findings are not generalisable, but may be useful in similar contexts. Future research considerations: For future research, doing such a coaching evaluation study, a design, which enables evaluation of the impact on the learners’ outcomes, should be adopted. Contribution of the study: The study adds to the body of qualitative evaluation and empirical research in the coaching profession of which there are a limited number of studies. The findings may also provide strategic input for the GDE’s decision on whether to rollout the coaching intervention to other schools.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

This study began with a concern about elementary teachers, as a whole, avoiding the teaching of science in the elementary classroom. The three main factors noted as reasons for this avoidance were: (1) minimum science requirements to reach certification, leading to a lack of preparedness; (2) lack of exposure to science in elementary school; and (3) general dislike for and understanding of science leading to a low self-efficacy in science teaching. The goal of the Environmental Science Lab for Elementary Educators (ESLEE) was to conduct an intervention. The intervention was lab-based and utilized in-context, constructivist approaches to positively influence participants' abilities to retain science content knowledge and to affect their belief in themselves as teachers. This intervention was created to respond to all three of the main avoidance factors noted above. The research utilized a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest control group design. Two pretests and two posttests (science teaching efficacy and content knowledge) were given to all 1,100 environmental science lab students at the participating institution over two long semesters. Three experimental/control groups were formed from this population. The Experimental Group was comprised of 46 students who participated in the ESLEE Intervention. Control Group 1 was comprised of 232 self-described preservice educators (SDPEEs) in "regular" labs. Control Group 2 was comprised of 62 nonSDPEEs taught by ESLEE instructors in "regular" lab settings. A DM MANOVA was used to analyze the data. The results demonstrated that the ESLEE Intervention was statistically significant at the p> .05 level for science teaching efficacy between the Experimental Group and Control Group 1, and was statistically significant for both content knowledge and efficacy between the Experimental Group and Control Group 2. More notably, the effect size (delta) results ranged from .19 to .71 and .06 to .55 (partial eta squared) and demonstrated the practical significance of implementing the ESLEE Intervention.

Currently, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is a popular buzz word in P -12 education as it represents a means to advance American competitiveness in the global economy. Proponents of the engineering component of STEM advocate additional benefits in teaching engineering, such as its capacity to engage students in collaboration, and to apply critical thinking, systems thinking, negotiation, and communication skills to solve real-life contextual problems. Establishing a strong foundation of engineering knowledge at a young age will provide students with internal motivation as it taps into their curiosity toward how things work, and it also prepares them for secondary science courses. Successful STEM education is often constrained by elementary teachers' low perception of self-efficacy to teach science and engineering. Elementary teachers with low self-efficacy in science are more likely to spend less instructional time teaching science, which suggests that teachers with little to no training in engineering might avoid teaching this topic. Therefore, the purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to examine the effects of engineering professional development on elementary (K-6) teachers' content and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and perceptions of self-efficacy to teach engineering, and (b) to identify and explain sources influencing self-efficacy. Professional development was conducted in a metropolitan area in the Pacific Northwest. Results revealed that after the engineering professional development, teachers experienced statistically significant gains in content, PCK, and self-efficacy to teach engineering. Increases in self-efficacy were mainly attributed to mastery experiences and cultivation of a growth mindset by embracing the engineering design process.

"The aim of this study is to examine some of the factors and conditions underlying the preparation and work of the high school teachers in Collin County for the year 1936-1937 only. In finding and tabulating the existing factors and conditions, it is hoped that this will be of help in making improvements in the present schedule for the training of high school teachers."--leaf 2

D.Ed. / The Republic of South Africa has had a democratic Constitution since 1996 (RSA, 1996 (a)). All other laws must be in accordance with the Constitution since it is the highest law in the country. Important values in which South Africa as a democratic state is based are contained in the Constitution. These values and principles, which take into account democratic school governance, include: Human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedom. Non-racialism and non-sexism.The rule of law applies, in other words, the Constitution and other laws as enforced by the Courts have higher authority than Parliament or the Government. All adults must be able to vote and there must be regular elections, a multi-party system of democratic government, accountability and openness (Potgieter, Visser, Van der Bank, Mothata & Squelch, 1997:5). The Constitution takes cognisance of the fact that all South African citizens have the right to basic education (RSA, 1996a:14). The Constitution also requires that school education must be transformed and democratised so that the aforementioned four values and principles are enshrined in the democratisation of education. The installation of a democratically elected Government has transformedy of the fundamental policies in respect of education. Over time this policy changes must have effects at the level of practice and effect every institution and individual involved in the education system. These developments will have a profound effect on the formal education system at every level and must consequently impact on the structure and forms of management in the evolution of a democratic system.A serious challenge lies ahead for the management and administration of the education system of the future. Educationists at every level of the management process must therefore understand the underlying values and principles which are set out in the policy perspectives of government. By the end of 1997, all schools should have implemented school-based decision-making. Local school governing bodies would be responsible for the way in which the schools are being managed and controlled. The fundamental challenge to all those in education, and especially those at school level, is the ability to organise schools so that the potential for the development of a culture of learning and teaching (COLTS) is reintroduced (Godden, Buckland, Coombe, Dladla, Madisha, Mahanjana, Thurlow, Ngcongo & McLennan: 1996:19). The real challenge that schools face is that of change in order to meet the needs of a new developing demoCracy and how schools should be managed. Changing management to manage change is the essential challenge to bring about democratic education. However, it is always easier to design policies than to implement them and to date the changes have been laboriously slow.

Relational aggression (RA) is a type of bullying in which the relationship is used as the agent of harm (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995). RA behaviors are intended to impair or ruin reputations, friendships, and feelings of inclusion in a peer group (Putallaz et al., 2007). Professional School Counselors (PSCs) are charged to be social justice advocates for students; RA is a social justice issue because the effects of RA bullying, victimization, and bullying/victimization lead to poor academic achievement. Recent literature suggests that PSCs do not perceive the effects of RA to be as serious as the effects of physical and verbal bullying; however, training can increase RA sensitivity and willingness to intervene (Jacobsen & Bauman, 2007). No studies have explored PSC training, PSC perceptions regarding RA, PSC perceived barriers to RA intervention, and PSC intervention strategies. The purpose of this study was to examine PSC training for RA, PSC perceptions of RA as an issue with serious consequences for students, PSC perceived barriers to RA care, and the interventions PSCs currently use for RA. This study also examined if sex differences, grade level with which PSC worked, and school type in which PSC worked existed in PSC perceptions of RA as an issue with serious consequences for students. A substantial amount of PSCs surveyed strongly agreed (24.5%), agreed (39.8%) and somewhat agreed (26.8%; a cumulative of 91.2% of participants) that RA was an issue with serious consequences for students with whom they work. RA was recognized by PSCs as an issue with serious consequences for students with no significant differences by training, gender, and school type at which the PSC worked. Significant differences were found by school level with which the PSC worked. Several barriers to RA care were identified including lack of time, parents, issues with students reporting RA, and the confusion surrounding instances of RA. Several important RA interventions were identified including individual counseling with the victim and/or bully, using outside resources, group counseling, and focusing on school wide bullying interventions. Implications for PSC practice and training were given in addition to implications for future research.

The purpose of this research study was to identify practices that principals utilize that are believed to influence teacher retention. Teacher turnover is a major problem facing principals and school systems today. Much of the present research focuses on why teachers leave the field, but there is little research on the principals' perceptions of what they do to stem the flow of educators leaving the classroom. To accomplish this purpose, a case study was conducted, focused on identifying the principals' role in teacher retention and their perceptions of the most important strategies utilized to stimulate high teacher retention. Qualitative research methods including individual interviews, open-ended questionnaires, and focus groups enabled the researcher to identify, compare, and contrast the perceptions, beliefs, and practices used by the nine study participants. The research design produced interviews filled with rich narratives describing the practices used by principals at schools with high teacher retention. The focus group discussion elucidated the common behaviors that were perceived to support teacher retention. The study yielded evidence that high-performing principals with high teacher retention rates clearly and consistently identified specific practices they believe support teacher retention; that principals play a vital role in teacher retention and that their leadership, support, and daily practices influence a teacher's decision to remain in teaching. The data collected indicates the centrality of creating a positive school culture and a sense of belonging. All the other identified principal practices are intertwined with and contribute to this outcome. / Choosing, supporting, and valuing faculty and encouraging shared decision-making appear to be the central practices in building teacher retention; and these practices are supported by and integrated with principals' modeling of positive personal characteristics, exercising fairness and equity, being visible and approachable, and communicating in an open two-way manner. Congruence of findings from all data collection methods provided an updated list of common practices identified by these highly successful principals that may inform principal preparation and a professional development model for present and future educational leaders interested in maintaining a stable teaching faculty. / by Janet A. Cornella. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

A study was made to determine the views of elementary principals regarding criteria for a quality kindergarten program and to plan a staff development program based upon the data collected. The study was limited to elementary principals in the eight Texas counties of Education Service Center Region 10 with kindergartens on their campuses during the 1973-1974 school year. Principals who had kindergartens on their campuses before the 1973-1974 school year did not perform better on the questionnaire than the principals with kindergartens for the first time during the 1973-1974 school year. Comparisons of individual and composite item scores showed similar responses from both groups, the only exception being on an item pertaining to the appropriateness of wheeled toys on the elementary playground. There was a difference of approximately 15 percent in favor of the more experienced group. Principals who had completed early childhood education courses scored slightly higher than principals who had not completed such courses. An increase in the number of semester hours completed did not appear to improve performance on the questionnaire.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate consumer knowledge and attitudes toward consumer education of college students in secondary teacher education preparatory programs in Korea. Specifically, this study was aimed to 1) measure the degree of consumer knowledge of college students in secondary teacher education preparatory programs, 2) assess the influences of socio-demographic variables such as academic level, academic major, sex, total family income, urban/rural background, and previous coursework in consumer economics on consumer knowledge, 3) evaluate attitudes of college students in secondary teacher education preparatory programs in Korea toward consumer education, 4) assess the influences of socio-demographic variables on attitudes toward consumer education, 5) examine the relationship between the degree of total consumer knowledge and attitudes toward consumer education when other socio-demographic variables are controlled. The sample was 388 freshmen and seniors in secondary teacher education preparatory programs, with majors in home economics, social studies, and business education, in the five randomly selected colleges in Korea. They were tested during May, 1991. The mean score for consumer knowledge was 30.18 which represented 75.4 percent correct. The relationships between consumer knowledge and selected socio-demographic variables were investigated using a one-way ANOVA. The results were as follow: 1) The degree of total consumer knowledge differed significantly by academic level, 2) The degree of total consumer knowledge and knowledge of the subarea of economic principles, consumer advocacy and buying practices differed significantly by academic major, 3) Only the degree of knowledge of the sub-area of buying practices differed significantly by sex, 4) There was no significant difference in the degree of total consumer knowledge and any sub-areas of consumer knowledge by total family income, 5) The degree of total consumer knowledge and knowledge of the sub-area of economic principles differed significantly by urban/rural background, 6) There was no significant difference in the degree of total consumer knowledge and any sub-areas of consumer knowledge by previous coursework in consumer economics. The mean score of attitudes toward consumer education was 2.94 on a scale of 1 to 4. The relationships of attitudes toward consumer education and socio-demographic variables were examined using a one-way ANOVA. Attitudes toward consumer education differed significantly only by previous coursework in consumer economics. To examine the relationship between the degree of total consumer knowledge and attitudes toward consumer education when other socio-demographic variables are controlled, a stepwise multiple regression anaysis was used. There was a significant positive relationship between consumer knowledge and attitudes toward consumer education. The results indicated that students majoring in home economics, female students, students who have taken consumer economics coursework, and students who have a higher degree of consumer knowledge have more favorable attitudes toward consumer education. / Graduation date: 1992