published_or_final_version / abstract / Education / Master / Master of Education

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.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Education (Management), Technikon Natal, 2002. / This study explores the role of senior management in improving educators' morale in public, secondary schools in the Durban Central Area. The reasons for a decline in educators' morale and effectiveness are senior management's lack of incentives and rewards, violence in schools, poorly disciplined learners, conflict, nepotism and public condemnation of educators. Other factors include: 'right-sizing', rationalisation and redeployment, lack of transparency during the promotion process and the negative attitude to the appraisal policy. Motivating educators will lead to improved school performance and promote enthusiasm and confidence amongst educators. The researcher will provide support on the topic from observations and a study ofliterature. The qualitative method of research was undertaken. The representative sample included principals, deputy principals, heads of department and educators from public secondary schools in the Durban Central Area. Evidence from questionnaires suggested that educators in the Durban Central Area are demoralised and therefore there is an urgent need to address their morale. The researcher examined the causes and symptoms of educators' demoralisation and senior management's role in improving their morale. This investigation focuses on problems which lead to the demoralisation of educators; the causes and symptoms of demoralisation and how educators can contribute to a healthy and professional culture in schools. It is suggested that senior management should motivate individual educators. Some measures proposed to improve and / M

Teacher evaluation is changing in the United States, primarily due to federal policies requiring that measures of student growth be embedded within teacher evaluation systems. Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) emerged as one way to measure teacher effectiveness. SLOs are teacher-developed goals for student achievement that reflect student learning and growth over a specified time period. Each state or district utilizing SLOs in teacher evaluation implements SLOs in a different way, and the details of SLO implementation affect the extent to which teaching is improved. This grounded theory research study investigated the influence of SLOs on teachers and teaching. The researcher interviewed 20 teachers from six regions of the United States. This research identified three dimensions of SLO implementation that influence SLOs' effect: School Leadership, School Climate and Teacher Agency. These dimensions are explored in this research, resulting in recommendations that would serve to enhance the benefits of SLOs on teachers and teaching. Additionally, future research suggestions are noted to add to the growing body of research on SLOs.

This quantitative study investigated the relationship between high school social studies teachers' reading professional development through Project CRISS: Creating Independence through Student-Owned Strategies (CRISS) and the implementation of active reading strategies in the classroom. Quantitative data were collected through an online survey in order to provide a comprehensive picture of high school social studies teachers' self-reported classroom practices relating to the use of active prereading, during-reading, and postreading strategies. Additionally, the survey asked teachers to self-report their observations of student independent implementation of the same active reading strategies. These data were used to provide an in-depth look that expanded on high school social studies teachers' self-reported classroom practices relating to reading. The results of this study indicated that there was no significant relationship between teachers' reading professional development through CRISS and their self-reported classroom practices in the implementation of active pre-, during, and postreading strategies. Further findings indicated no significant relationship between teachers' reading professional development through CRISS and their self-reported observations of student independent implementation of the same active reading strategies. Lastly, there were no correlations that indicated that years teaching in the classroom moderated these relationships. Implications and suggestions for future research were offered for future reading professional development for secondary teachers and educational researchers who intend to utilize survey instruments. / by Carmen L. Newstreet. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

The purpose of this non-experimental study was to determine whether teacher cognitive and behavioral agility relates to student achievement as measured by their value-added model (VAM) score and their performance evaluation measured through the Marzano instructional practice (IP) framework, and whether that relationship is moderated by contextual variables. Cognitive agility, measured through the Strategic Thinking Questionnaire for Teachers (STQ T TM), refers to the leader’s ability to use their repertoire of thinking skills. Behavioral agility, measured with the Strategic Leadership Questionnaire for Teachers (SLQ T TM), relates to the leader’s ability to use a wide array of leader influencing actions. Teacher VAM score is the percent of the teacher’s students that met or exceeded a statistically predicted score on the end of year assessment. Teacher IP scores were also collected and were based on classroom walkthroughs, and other factors, conducted by their respective school-based administrator(s). The study included 75 teacher participants at the middle and high school levels and used correlational, linear regression, moderator, and mediation statistical analyses. The research findings indicate that cognitive agility continues to be a significant predictor of behavioral agility and that both cognitive and behavioral agility were significantly related to VAM or IP in teachers over the age of 50. Additionally, VAM scores significantly increased through the use of reframing and IP scores increased when utilizing bridging leader actions. However, it was also found that VAM scores were negatively correlated to the managing leader actions in the total population. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The purpose of this study was to determine if teachers who use thinking and leading actions have higher student achievement as measured by the teacher’s Value Added Measure (VAM) score. A quantitative non-experimental design investigated the relationships between teacher cognitive and behavioral agility and student achievement. Cognitive agility, measured through the Strategic Thinking Questionnaire for Teachers (STQT ), refers to the leader’s ability to use their repertoire of thinking skills. Behavioral agility, measured with the Strategic Leadership Questionnaire for Teachers (SLQT ), denotes the leader’s ability to use a wide array of leader influencing actions. Teachers were surveyed and the data were analyzed through correlation and multiple regressions to determine the relationship among the variables. Although the cognitive and behavioral agility was not correlated with a teacher’s VAM score, the results indicate that teachers do perceive themselves as leaders in their classrooms. Educational leadership certification, higher degrees, and years experience of a teacher did moderate the relationship between local VAM and both cognitive and behavioral agility. The sub-scales of systems thinking and transforming of the survey instruments also were significant to the results. Theoretically, this study contributes to the teacher leadership literature, focusing on the classroom teacher and their effect on student achievement. Practically, with educational accountability changing the landscape, school districts should train teachers to engage in leadership skills, reward teachers for earning a Master’s degree in leadership, and work to retain high quality teachers who are leaders within their classroom. Greater student achievement could be the result. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to determine if there was a relationship between the 2018 Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) Growth Score given by the Tennessee Department of Education and the overall 2018 Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model (TEAM) Observation Rating for teachers in grades 3-12 in the participating public school district. Demographic variables associated with both the teacher and evaluator were considered to determine if there existed a significant difference between gender, teaching license, grade level, TEAM Certified Observer years of experience, and the growth score and overall TEAM Observation Rating. The participating public school district is located in Northeast Tennessee and has 12 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 2 high schools, and 1 optional high school. Participants included employees of the school district in tested subject areas in grades 3-12. Eight research questions served as the framework of the study. Data were analyzed using a Pearson correlation, Independent Samples t-tests, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results of the analysis revealed no significant correlation between TVAAS Growth Scores and the TEAM Observation Ratings for TN Ready tested teachers, in grades 3-12. There was no significant difference by gender in the TEAM Observation Ratings, no significant difference by type of teaching license in the TVAAS Growth Scores, and no significant difference by type of teaching license in the overall TEAM Observation Ratings. There was a significant difference in the TVAAS Growth Scores by grade level taught. Students in secondary classrooms showed more growth from testing than students in elementary classrooms. There was no significant difference by grade level taught in the overall TEAM Observation Ratings. There was a significant difference by TEAM Certified Observer’s years of experience in the TVAAS Growth Scores. Teachers assigned TEAM Certified Observers in the 0-1 year group and the 5-8 years group showed more student growth than teachers in the 2-4 years group. There was no significant difference by TEAM Certified Observer’s years of experience and the overall TEAM Observation Ratings for teachers in grades 3-12 in the participating public school district.

by Wong Ka-sing. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter Chapter One --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter Two --- Research in Expertise --- p.4 / Chapter A --- Inherited Traits and Acquisition of Expertise --- p.4 / Chapter B --- Expert-novice Differences : Knowledge --- p.5 / Chapter C --- Practice and Development of Expertise --- p.12 / Chapter Chapter Three --- Expertise in teaching --- p.14 / Importance of Subject Matter Expertise in Relationship to Pedagogical Reasoning and Pedagogical Content Knowledge --- p.18 / Chapter Chapter Four --- Domain knowledge and its representation --- p.24 / Knowledge Representations and Networks --- p.26 / Techniques of Eliciting and Representing Knowledge --- p.29 / Chapter Chapter Five --- The Pathfinder algorithm and research resultsin relationship to education and learning --- p.34 / Chapter A --- Validity of the Pathfinder Network --- p.36 / Chapter B --- The Interpretation of Links in Pathfinder Network --- p.38 / Chapter Chapter Six --- Research findings relevant to the present study --- p.39 / Chapter A --- "Gomez, R. L, Hadfield O. D. and Housner, L D (1996): "" Concept Maps and Simulated Teaching Episodes as Indicators of Competence in Teaching Elementary Mathematics""" --- p.39 / Chapter B --- "Goldsmith, T. E. , Johnson, P.j., and Acton, W. H (1991): "" Assessing structural knowledge""" --- p.43 / Chapter C --- "Acton, W. H., Johnson, P. j. and Goldsmith, T. E (1994): ""Structural knowledge assessment: Comparison of referent structures""" --- p.45 / Chapter D --- "Gonzalvo, P., Canas, J. J., and Bajo. M. T. (1994): "" Structural representations in knowledge acquisition""" --- p.48 / Chapter E --- "Johnson, P. J. Goldsmith, T. E, and Teague, K. W (1994).: "" Locus of predictive advantage in Pathfinder- based representations of classroom knowledge""" --- p.50 / Chapter Chapter Seven --- The research question --- p.52 / Research Hypothesis --- p.53 / The Subjects of this Study --- p.54 / Method of Data Collection --- p.57 / Concepts Used for Rating --- p.58 / Chapter Chapter Eight --- Results and analysis --- p.60 / Qualitative Analysis of Pathfinder Networks and MDS Solutions --- p.60 / Testing of Hypotheses --- p.70 / Discussion --- p.75 / Chapter Chapter Nine --- Limitations of the present study --- p.78

Thesis (Ed.D.)--East Carolina University, 2009. / Presented to the faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership. Advisor: James McDowelle. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed June 16, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.