The purpose of this study is to reveal what technological skills are inquired about by superintendents/directors of schools in the state of Tennessee when hiring high school principals. The study further reveals perceptions that superintendents/directors of schools have for the desirability of high school principals to possess technological skills and their perceptions of how capable current high school principals are for possessing those skills. The study was based on a total population of 139 school superintendents in the state of Tennessee. Surveys were mailed in early Nov, 1995. One hundred-two surveys were completed and returned. Findings were divided into two categories, the results of the testing conducted for the research questions and the results of the hypothesis testing. The findings revealed that more than half of the superintendents/directors of schools in the state of Tennessee had hiring procedures that inquired about technological skills. The ability to budget technology was not a skill that most superintendents/directors of schools inquired about. More than three-fourths of the superintendents/directors of schools desired high school principals to possess technological skills. Fewer than one-fourth of the superintendents/directors of schools perceived current high school principals to have much knowledge and experience with technology. Significant differences were found in hiring procedures and perceptions of the technological abilities of current high school principals. The significant differences were between appointed and elected superintendents/directors of schools, superintendents/directors of schools with different degrees of education, and superintendents/directors of schools employed at school systems with different levels of per pupil expenditure. Based on the findings, the following recommendations were suggested: (1) superintendents/directors of schools should evaluate hiring procedures to assure there is inquiry into the technological abilities of candidates seeking high school principalships, (2) training for technological skills should be provided for students studying school administration, current high school principals, and superintendents/directors of schools, and (3) better communication channels should be established between administrators concerning technology, rules and regulations concerning technology, and incentives to encourage the development of technology.

The purpose of this study is to determine the level of Machiavellian attitudes acknowledged by secondary school principals as measured by the Mach V Attitude Inventory Scale. The data were collected from an ex post facto survey of 169 public and nonpublic secondary school principals, grades 9-12. Principals completed the Mach V scale and a 13-item demographic survey. Sixteen research questions were formulated to examine the relationship among the variables which produced seventeen null hypotheses. Of the seventeen null hypotheses, four were found to be significant and thirteen were nonsignificant. A review of the descriptive data indicated that the majority of Tennessee secondary school principals acknowledge low-Machiavellian attitudes. In addition, the data indicated that the gender of the principals reflected a significant difference in Machiavellian attitude. Significant differences were found in the subgroups of views, morality, and tactics based on their total Machiavellian score. The descriptive data were generated by using a frequency distribution, t-tests for independent means, and one-way analysis of variance. The following conclusions of the study are offered: (1) Principals acknowledge that they possess low-Machiavellian attitudes. (2) The findings of this study are parallel with those of Christie and Geis who found that educators tend to be low-Machiavellian. (3) Female principals are more Machiavellian than male principals. (4) leadership at exemplary secondary schools is not provided by high-Machiavellian principals. (5) On the basis of the demographic information, a typical secondary school principal is defined as follows: a male Caucasian who has served 1 to 7 years as a public school principal and has 24 to 31 years of educational experience and who is satisfied with his position, serves an appointed superintendent, and desires to remain in his position as principal. (6) Based on the high rate of return and the even distribution of responses from the three areas of East, Middle, and West Tennessee, the results of the survey are descriptive of all secondary school principals. In addition, the even distribution and rate of return indicate that principals are interested in responding to research studies involving leadership attitudes. (7) Low-Machiavellian principals are serving superintendents who were appointed. (8) The subscores of views, morality, and tactics reflect a level of Machiavellian attitudes similar to the total Machiavellian scores of Tennessee secondary school principals, indicating that the Mach V Attitude Inventory Scale is a valid instrument for measuring Machiavellian attitudes.

A descriptive study was conducted to identify teachers' and principals' perceptions of school climate in four stages of a change to block scheduling: Initiation, the first year of Implementation, the second year of Implementation, and the third year of Implementation or Institutionalization. Data were collected from 442 teachers and principals in nine high schools in the First Tennessee Regional District in a stratified purposeful random sample using the Organizational Health Index (OHI), a 44-item survey, and a demographic information sheet. The survey has seven dimensions: Institutional Integrity, Initiating Structure, Consideration, Principal Influence, Resource Support, Morale, and Academic Support. These dimensions and the Total Climate scores were analyzed in the four stages of the change process. Demographic variables included gender, job title, age, level of education, years of experience, and subject assignment. The data were analyzed with a t-test or an analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine significant differences between and within groups, and a post-hoc test determined specific significant groups. There were no significant differences found in Total Climate scores or the Consideration dimension. There were also no significant differences in perceptions based on gender or education. There were significant differences found in all other dimensions and demographic variables. Block scheduling was found to have no effect to some positive effect on student learning and the way teachers teach. Block scheduling was not found to negatively affect school climate, and there is a need for continual professional development at each stage of the change process to address concerns revealed in this study.

The problem related to this study was to develop a clearer understanding of the staff development needs of high school classroom teachers implementing block scheduled programs. The purpose of this study was to determine if teachers' perceptions of staff development needs differed when teaching experience, education (highest degree earned), and Tennessee Career Ladder status were considered. Four levels of each independent variable were analyzed by six categories of perceptions, the dependent variables. The categories were: (a) Planning, (b) Knowledge, (c) Satisfaction with staff development, (d) Adult learning strategies, (e) Level of involvement, and (f) Impact on student testing and grades. The 181 classroom teachers from eight Northeast Tennessee county school systems were surveyed using an instrument containing 50 response items. The return rate was 79% (N = 143). Three research questions were answered by analyzing three null hypotheses using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc Tukey multiple comparison tests. The alpha level was.05. The null hypothesis for all levels of teaching experience was retained. For all education or degree levels, the null hypothesis was retained except for the Educational Specialist group in the planning category and the Bachelor's group in the knowledge category. The null hypothesis for Tennessee Career Ladder status was retained except for the Level III group in the knowledge category. Beyond the analyses of hypotheses, other survey results indicated that policy makers must involve teachers in decisions about block scheduling implementation and staff development through inclusive, school-based planning committees. Teacher comments implied that periodic needs assessments, teacher support, program evaluation, and assessment of student learning are critical to block scheduling.

This study examines teacher practices and student learning as perceived by teachers within public high schools that have implemented block scheduling. Comparisons are made between the possibilities advanced by block scheduling advocates and the actual results as interpreted from the data gathered. Comparisons are made between teaching and learning with the traditional schedule and the manner in which it takes place with block scheduling. Open-ended questionnaires were developed for use with voluntary participants who had worked with traditional scheduling and now taught with some form of block scheduling. Participants recorded observations based solely upon personal perceptions of experiences with students while teaching in both scheduling designs. Special demographic data were provided by each participant, numerically recorded, and analyzed for statistical differences. This study reports on the generalized trends of the data reported to this researcher. Data revealed that teachers have not adopted new teaching strategies, perceive that they are teaching less, and only the higher achievers benefit from the scheduling innovation. Students do not learn more with a longer class period. Block scheduling produced some unanticipated consequences such as teachers competing for students, reduced club participation, and principals gaining the ability to assign teachers a greater percentage of their preparations away from their major area of study. The importance of this study lies with the revealed effects of block scheduling not found in any other literature. The research effort gives voice to those persons who actually implemented the scheduling innovation. By using these first person accounts, this study discusses questions surrounding the block scheduling controversy that are not presented in current literature and sheds new light on those that are.

The purpose of this study was to identify the processes that have been used for implementing the alternative scheduling plan of block scheduling in high schools. The study attempted to discover what professional development activities were used for the change, if teachers altered instruction, and what additional staff development was needed. The qualitative method of case study research was selected for the study. The investigator chose five public high schools, representing city and county systems and different professional development budgets and types of instructional support. Central office administrators who were responsible for the implementation of block scheduling, principals, and a purposeful sample of teachers were interviewed. Utilizing interview transcripts, field notes, and records, case studies were formulated for each school. A cross-site analysis was also developed. This aspect of the study focused on several themes that emerged from the case studies. These themes included reasons for the scheduling change; implementation procedures; professional development strategies; effects on instruction, students, and schools; and procedural and staff development needs. The conclusions of the study were as follows: a concern for students prompted the change; considerable effort was devoted to implementation; the 4 x 4 semester plan was the most common configuration; a considerable difference existed in the amounts schools spent for professional development; and staff development was integral to implementation. Additional conclusions were that block scheduling had both positive and negative effects on instruction; some teachers altered instruction with the schedule; the majority of students preferred a block schedule instead of a traditional one; the plan had a positive impact on the discipline, course offerings, and learning atmosphere of a school; and changes in implementation and professional growth would enhance the innovation. These conclusions will assist educators in developing and implementing procedural strategies and professional development plans for block scheduling, as well as other reform efforts.

The problem is threefold: To determine the present practices of the programs in which student teaching is done. To analyze significant variations and to show important central tendencies in the technique of supervision of student teachers. To ascertain a means of evaluating student teaching in industrial arts.

High school writing teacher self-efficacy has suffered because the workload and emotional energy of grading papers is arduous, and despite their efforts to provide formative written feedback, many teachers believe students ignore or misunderstand it. Although audio feedback holds promise for improving the clarity of instructor feedback and the self-efficacy of writing instructors in higher education, its usefulness for improving high school teacher self-efficacy has remained unexplored. This multiple case study investigated how high school teachers believed Kaizena, a digital audio feedback technology, influenced their writing instruction and self-efficacy. Participants, who were drawn from the global Kaizena user base, included a user group of 3 United States teachers and a user group of 3 international teachers to determine how both groups used Kaizena and whether differences in use occurred in either environment. Data sources included individual teacher interviews, participant journals, and artifacts such as teacher-created writing assignments and rubrics. Data analysis included both single case and cross case analyses. Single case analysis included coding and categorizing of interview and participant journal data and content analysis of artifacts. Cross case analysis included identifying emerging themes and discrepant data. Results indicated that all 6 teachers both believed they gave more high quality, personalized feedback to students in less time with the audio feature of Kaizena than with written feedback and did, in fact, provide documents confirming this higher quality. As a result, using Kaizena positively influenced their self-efficacy. This study contributes to positive social change by providing insights into a feedback tool that could improve high school writing instruction.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

This study addressed the problem of the lack of Career and Technical Educational (CTE) courses offered at 3 high schools located in a rural Alabama county. Guided by Bourdieu's cultural capital theory, this study examined cultural capital in reference to the transference of knowledge that each high school in this study provides its students throughout their high school education. The research questions explored the stakeholders' perceptions of the factors that prevent the schools from offering more CTE programs and how CTE programs should be expanded in each school. A collective case study design was used for this study, with the data collected through transcribed interviews of 9 educators from the study schools and the examination of archival documents. The data were coded and categorized into a case study spreadsheet. According to the stakeholders, the major factors that prevented the schools from offering more CTE programs were lack of funding, proximity, and conflicts within the schedule. The stakeholders believed that the school system needed to create regional CTE centers that offered more courses with hands-on learning experiences that matched the students' interests. These findings led to a policy recommendation to the Board of Education to create a section under the current CTE policy which addresses program expansion. The policy recommendation and results from this study may effect positive social change by informing the creation and implementation of CTE courses that match students' interests, which may aid in those students being more college-and-career-ready upon graduation. The results from this study are also of interest to researchers examining problems in other school districts with similar deficits.