Efficacy is created early in a career and not easily influenced over time yet states and school districts loose tremendous amounts of money annually educating and training teachers who elect to leave the profession as a result of low self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived levels of self-efficacy of middle school Language Arts and reading teachers at various stages in their teaching careers in an attempt to inform the practices of teacher preparation. The Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale along with a Teacher Demographic Survey was used to identify how preparation method, content area, and years of experience might relate to self-reported teacher self-efficacy scores. Findings suggest preparation method does play a significant role in self-efficacy of teachers specifically regarding classroom management. Content area of instruction did not reveal a significant difference among participants scores while years of experience did. Participants‘ self-efficacy increased as the total number of overall years teaching experience increased. Nevertheless, when focusing on the number of years at one location, this finding did not hold true. Teacher self-efficacy scores increased only until the 10 year and beyond mark then decreased. Demographic factors such as participant age, sex, ethnicity, and school location were not identified as predictive variables of a teachers‘ self-efficacy. Findings suggest school factors at the 6-8 grade levels may impact teacher efficacy scores. Implications and recommendations to schools districts and teacher preparation programs are offered.

Bullying is a persistent problem that negatively affects the academic performance, and the psychological, social, and emotional well-being of targeted students. Research indicates most bullying is prejudice-based. Bullying and prejudice reduction interventions used in school systems encourage empathy towards the target student to reduce these behaviors, and current national and international interventions recommend focusing on bullies, targets (or victims), and bystanders. Interventions are conducted by individuals (trainers) trained to implement such programs, a model known as train-the-trainer. Teachers and pre-education majors usually volunteer to become trainers. Effectiveness of interventions may depend on the trainees' knowledge, empathy, and adherence to the program. Research reports that the impact of the training on the trainer significantly impacts its implementation and effectiveness. Yet, the impact of the training on the trainer is rarely the focus of research. The Bullying Amongst Diverse Populations (BADP) training was conducted to study its impact on the trainees. The results show the BADP training had an overall positive impact on participants' knowledge of and skills to respond to situations involving bullying and prejudice, sense of efficacy, and likelihood to intervene. Pre- and post-test assessments demonstrate reductions on prejudicial attitudes and increments in participants' defender roles. Implications for future research are discussed and implications for university and K-12 administrators, counselor educators, school counselors, and program coordinators of teacher education programs are also reviewed.

Abstract According to Wilkerson and Lang (2003, p.1) with approximately "90% of schools, colleges, and departments of education using portfolios of one form or another as decision-making tools for standards-based decisions regarding certification or licensure (as well as NCATE accreditation), it is appropriate to explore the legal and psychometric aspects of this assessment device." This study was conducted to examine how well the authentic assessments created in the Chalk and Wire ePortfolio initiative, which was created to provide authentic assessments of the Accomplished Practices, relate to the measures in the Professional Knowledge subtests on Florida Teacher Certification Examination. The sample was comprised of 294 graduating student teachers from a single department in the College of Education for the 2009/2010 school year at a large southern university. Multiple regression analyses were employed to examine the relationship between authentic assessments (i.e. critical tasks) in Chalk and Wire and performance on the subtests of the Professional Knowledge Test on the Florida Teacher Certification exam while controlling for gender, ethnicity and overall GPA. Only two of the independent variables were statistically significant from the 12 models examined. The scores from the Professional Knowledge subtests on Florida Teacher Certification Examination for Diversity (AP5) and Technology (AP12) were statistically different for gender, with females scoring higher than males on both. The results provided little evidence of concurrent validity between the authentic assessments of the Chalk and Wire ePortfolio initiative and the Professional Knowledge subtests on Florida Teacher Certification Examination.

Dispositions are a difficult construct to define and assess within teacher education. The problem lies in the relative ambiguity of the term and the subjective manner in which it is applied to the assessment of the performance of preprofessional teachers. Additionally, because certain accreditation institutes including the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) require that dispositions be measured as part of a teacher's professional development, the issues of how dispositions are constructed and gauged becomes an essential part of the foundation related to understanding the effectiveness of teacher education programs. The fact that much of the research examining teacher dispositions does not include special education, adds to the imperative to study this concept. In order to examine professionals' conceptualization of dispositions related to the preparation of preprofessional special education teachers, Stake's (1999) case study method was utilized in this study. This method allowed for the use of interviews and the analysis of archival documents to better understand the phenomenon of special education teacher dispositions. Preprofessional teachers in their second semester of their program and those in their final internship, as well as recent graduates (all associated with the same program) were interviewed in order to determine what constituted their definitions and perceived influences of their dispositions within a special education teacher preparation program. The intent of the study was to better inform future practices in teacher education programs in special education through a more contextualized understanding of dispositions.

Working collaboratively with the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) and Dr. Kara Hallmark's art education students at the University of Texas at Austin (UT), this qualitative case study documented how preservice art teachers' awareness of how to implement language as a teaching tool developed during a participatory observational experience in the segregated special needs art class at TSBVI. My research reveals how the field experience at TSBVI, which included hands-on interaction with pupils who are blind or visually impaired and the role modeling of an experienced special needs art educator, enhanced awareness for preservice teachers about how language can be used effectively in teaching art. This awareness is useful for all educators who include students experiencing vision impairment in the art classroom. / text

Based on an interpretive paradigm, this study aimed at probing into the perceptions of Egyptian EFL pre-service teachers and their lecturers of the new microteaching course. It investigated a) pre-service teachers and lecturers' perceptions about the course focuses; b) pre-service teachers' and lecturers’ perceptions of the difficulties encountered during course application, and finally c) pre-service teachers' perceptions about the helpfulness of the microteaching course in enhancing their teaching performance during practicum. Moreover, the study aimed at utilising this investigation for developing a framework for microteaching curricula planning and design. Data collection was based on a sequential mixed methods approach, thus in the first phase of the study, the researcher administered a questionnaire to 10 lecturers and 125 EFL pre-service teachers in the third year English department at the Faculty of Education of Menoufia University in Egypt. In Phase Two the researcher conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 7 lecturers and 15 pre-service teachers, who also completed a reflective journal. Data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings of the current study indicated that that there are nineteen focuses of the microteaching course at Shebin Elkom Faculty of Education. These focuses have been classified into three main themes: lesson planning skills, lesson implementation skills, and lesson evaluation skills. As revealed by data analysis, lecturers devoted less time to practising lesson evaluation skills. Findings also revealed that EFL pre-service teachers and their lecturers encountered the following difficulties during peer group work: modelling the skills, planning a micro-lesson, teaching a micro-lesson, and when giving and receiving feedback. Furthermore, it was found that the course was helpful in enhancing pre-service teachers’ teaching performance at practicum concerning their professional skills rather than their personal qualities. Psychological, socio-cultural, and socio-political factors that affect the implementation of the microteaching course are discussed. Implications and suggestions for further research are provided.

The focus of this research is to understand how different factors, such as state-level EE policies and institutional values, influence the inclusion of environmental education (EE) into pre-service teacher preparation programs. Institutional theory is the main theoretical foundation used for analyzing this issue. This is a mixed methods study with a sequential triangulation design (Morse 1991), using quantitative data from 50 states and 191 public universities to guide the selection process for seven qualitative interviews. While the impact of EE policies is evident, understanding the mechanisms that contribute to such things as political capital and how institutional value for EE is created is more nuanced. The findings from this research point to targeted EE policies, collaborative practices, and research on the development of institutional culture as strategies to bring EE in from the fringes of pre-service teacher preparation programs.

This yearlong dissertation study focused on understanding the experiences of domestic graduate mathematics teaching assistants (GMTAs) and the context in which they shape and develop their teaching views and practices. The intent of the study was to detail the teaching development of several GMTAs, determine the impact that their preparation programs had on their teaching, and identify other sources that influenced their teaching practices. Utilizing qualitative research methodology, consisting of interviews substantiated by observations, eight GMTAs were purposively selected and studied. Analysis provided the following findings.GMTAs are not a homogenous group; they bring with them different experiences, knowledge, preparation, and attitudes, all of which influence the way that they teach. In addition, a number of factors, many of which are external, played strong roles in shaping GMTAs' teaching practices. This study both identifies such factors and describes how they impacted the GMTAs' teaching practices.Preparation (training) programs were among these factors. Preparation programs can impact the teaching practices of GMTAs. This impact, however, is affected by the influence of other factors (such as course structure, time management, and limited pedagogical knowledge), which can support, constrain, or even counter-act the impact of training programs; this provides insight into why research has found programs to have limited impact on GMTAs' teaching. Furthermore, GMTAs are not always aware of the ways in which these programs impact their teaching; positive testimonials and attitudes toward training do not guarantee influence or impact on teaching practices, nor do negative ones; this suggests caution in using interviews as the sole basis for the evaluation of training programs.This dissertation provides detailed data stories for three of the participants. A list of factors and discussion of how they impacted their teaching practices is given. Some connections are made to research on K-12 teacher preparation. It shows the need for extended GMTA preparation programs, programs which provide significant instructional knowledge and which include guided instructional practices. For researchers, it shows the need to include classroom observations when studying and evaluating preparation programs, discussing the limitations of solely interview based findings.

In 2000, contributors to the formulation of the National Plan for Training Personnel to Serve Children with Blindness and Low Vision anticipated a severe shortage of direct service personnel as early as 2006 with an increasing negative impact on teacher numbers through the end of the decade. It is necessary to attract approximately 5,000 new teachers to the field to meet the needs of the ever-increasing population of students with visual impairments requiring specialized training.This study investigated the personality and background experiences of individuals who are attracted to work as educators with students with visual impairments. A sample of 132 teachers who had been trained at either the undergraduate or graduate level and were employed within their first five years as teachers with this specialization completed the Holland Self-Directed Search (Form CP) and a Participant Profile form to ascertain the personality types and experiences of those new to the field.The study considered three variables: (1) gender, (2) race/ethnicity, (3) teacher training level and their association with Holland personality type (RIASEC). All three variables were weak predictors of the personality type of teachers of the visually impaired as indicated by Goodman and Kruskal's tau. Results of the Holland Self-Directed Search was a stronger measure of the personality type associated with becoming a teacher of students with visual impairments. The data related to the sample revealed that 65.2% of those responding identified themselves as Social type.Teachers identified how they became aware of the field prior to making a decision to enter a teacher-training program, what their reasons were for making a decision to enter a training program to become a teacher of students with visual impairments, and which areas of their teaching experience differed from what they had expected prior to employment in the field. Limitations of the study, implications of the results for recruitment and retention of teachers of students with visual impairments, and recommendations for future research are provided.

The intentions expressed by second career individuals about entering the field of education, to make a difference in the lives of young people, mirror many of the philosophical frameworks of teaching for democracy that are found in the literature (Banks, 2005; Nieto, 1999; Dewey, 1916; Parker, 2003). An interest in how the interconnections of teaching to make a difference and teaching for democracy are enacted in second career teacher's classrooms. Four dimensions of teaching for democracy are suggested as a model of socially responsive teaching to study how teaching to make difference is enacted in the beliefs and practices of two second career teachers. The four dimensions include: 1) An ethic of care (Noddings, 1994); 2) Reflexive action (Grant & Zeichner, 1996; Schon, 1987); 3) Learning communities (Brooks & Brooks, 1999; Nieto, 1999; Richardson, 1997); and 4) Managed chaos (Bruner, 1986; Jenlink, 2004).Qualitative case study research was conducted to investigate how two newly certified second career male teachers articulate the beliefs they hold and conduct their practices to teach all children. From the constant comparison analysis common themes of classroom environment, curricular choices, and instructional approaches were identified and anchored the development of the cases. Across cases, the theme of 'life history' emerged as influential in the beliefs and practices to teach to make a difference. An extended analysis was conducted across cases to examine the links of the four dimensions of teaching for democracy present in the stories of each teacher's first year of teaching.Findings of this research study indicates 'life history' impacts the beliefs and practices of second career teachers to teach all students and can be linked to dimensions of teaching for democracy. Students' personal stories are sources for understanding and enhancing an awareness of racial, cultural, and economic diversity in teacher preparation programs (LaBoskey, 2006). This understanding is at the heart of the democratic ideal and a fundamental belief of those "directly responsible for ...creating and sustaining processes of conscious, self-guided evolution...the design of a future society" (Jenlink, 2002, p. 395).