Schools are increasingly challenged to respond to educational initiatives, implement accountability measures, and incorporate standards-driven curriculum changes introduced by laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004. IDEIA signified a shift in the field of education and intensified practitioners’ concerns about the identification and instruction of students with learning disabilities (LD). The revisions to IDEIA proposed alternative models for the evaluation and identification of students with LD, such as response to intervention (RTI). RTI is an educational framework that supports students at-risk for academic failure by focusing on preventative measures. As teachers’ roles evolve in response to innovations such as RTI, teacher preparation programs must adjust their focus and curriculum accordingly. A parallel mixed-methods design was used to explore 100 general education pre-service teachers’ levels of concern regarding the implementation of RTI based on the concerns based adoption model. The sample for the study integrated general education pre-service teachers enrolled in professional development schools (PDS) at two levels of candidacy, PDS1 and PDS2. Data collected was analyzed utilizing canonical correlation analysis (CCA), multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), descriptive statistics, and thematic analysis. Results explain general education pre-service teachers’ levels of knowledge had a negative relationship with the levels of concern, as these appeared to be higher due to teacher candidates’ lack of knowledge. Qualitative findings supported this statement. Contributions to the literature are presented and may guide teacher preparation programs as they assess the readiness of their pre-service teachers to effectively implement RTI.

Most research in music education using the Communities of Practice (CoP) framework (Wenger, 1998) has focused on analyzing the creation or existence of a CoP. In contrast, this study used the CoP framework as a means to analyze and explore the potential of music education field experiences as boundary encounters—experiences where an individual engages with an unfamiliar CoP. The purpose of this descriptive collective case study was to investigate the tensions that occur at the boundary between music student and music teacher practices. Research questions explored (a) how undergraduate field experiences served as productive encounters for negotiating and exploring the boundary between music student and music teacher practices, (b) the tensions that occur at the boundary between music student and music teacher practices, (c) which boundary objects helped coordinate music student practices with music teacher practices, and (d) who acts as brokers at the periphery of music teacher practice, and how. Three undergraduate music education majors enrolled in a secondary music education methods course participated in this semester-long study. Analysis of interview transcripts, participant journals, course assignments, and observations revealed how undergraduate field experiences in this course served as productive encounters for negotiating the boundary between music student and music teacher practices. Practicum encounters and attendance at a professional arts conference provided the strongest opportunities to engage with the music teaching practice, whereas observations were less productive. Pursuant to Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner (2015), tensions were explored as learning assets. Findings highlight how the school check-in process, relationship with cooperating teachers, opportunities to participate, and lack of brokering generated tension for the participants. Further analysis revealed a general lack of boundary objects between practices and an absence of brokers beyond the university supervisor. Findings support the need for authentic field experiences, with sustained access to the CoP. Moreover, the identification of brokers to facilitate and coordinate these experiences emerged as paramount. Given the unique positionality of university supervisors, they appear ideally positioned to serve as brokers. Finally, results also offer insights into how the timing, type, and student placement in field experiences may impact their productiveness.

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The relationship between teachers' participation in 4MAT learning style training and their perception of teacher efficacy was investigated three ways. Teachers who participated in 4MAT Fundamentals training were surveyed, observed, and interviewed. The Gusky and Passaro (1994) teacher efficacy scale was given to 120, K-12 teachers at 4MAT training sites. The survey was administered three times: before the workshop, immediately after the workshop and one month after the teachers had returned to their classrooms. The scale measured two teacher efficacy factors: (a) internal teacher efficacy -- perception of personal influence and impact on teaching and learning situations; and (b) external teacher efficacy -- perception of the influence and impact of elements that lie outside the classroom on teaching and learning situations. In addition, the teachers at one learning style training site were observed to determine how readily they adopted learning style terminology. Finally, six teachers were interviewed three times each to determine if factors found by Ashton (1984) to be associated with a high level of teacher efficacy were present. Perceptions of internal teacher efficacy increased significantly from pre- to post workshop administrations. After the teachers had been in the classroom for one month, internal teacher efficacy scores were lower than immediately after the workshop but still significantly higher than before the workshop. The training had no significant impact on external teacher efficacy scores. An interaction was found between teachers' level of previous knowledge and the reported gain in internal teacher efficacy. Those teachers with little previous knowledge of learning style theory and methodology showed higher levels of gain in internal teacher efficacy immediately after the workshop and on the one-month follow-up survey. The teachers' discourse during interviews and behavior during the workshops reflected all the elements Ashton outlined as associated with teacher efficacy: a belief in students' potential to learn and develop, awareness of the classroom as a social setting, and use of reflective behavior. These data also suggested that the maintenance of a high level of efficacy was influenced by the support of colleagues, modeling of instructional techniques, and validation of teachers' ideas concerning practice. It was also noted that teachers adapted 4MAT methodology idiosyncratically. These findings suggest that knowledge of learning style theory and practice can be valuable to teachers. It appears that examining the impact of learning style training on teachers' attitudes and behaviors may provide meaningful insights into why interest in learning style concepts continues despite an inconclusive research base. / Ph. D.

Slightly more than two million teachers will be needed for the nation's classrooms within the next decade. Consequently, some states have begun to look to their ready supply of paraeducators, also known as teacher assistants, as a pipeline for supplying qualified teachers. These paraeducators who make the career change to teachers are more likely to remain in hard-to-supply geographic areas and to increase the diversity of the teaching force. This study explored the lived experiences of five minority women who successfully negotiated the transition process to become professional teachers. Phenomenological interviewing, within the hermeneutic phenomenology tradition, was the methodology used for data collection. To understand how these paraeducators attained their aspiration, testimonies of their experiences were developed from a series of extended interviews and presented as reconstructed narratives. The transcribed narratives identified common themes that were linked with research on personal and professional development of minority women seeking to make a career change. The discussion of these narratives revealed transitional paths shaped by pain tempered by perseverance and goal-setting. The five women's working to achieve their goal, encased in a common time frame, began with an experience that propelled them on their journey. Four common elements emerged as beneficial in supporting attainment of their professional goals: (a) leadership support; (b) financial support; (c) family support; and (d) personal power. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a better understanding of how eight preservice teachers perceived the culturally diverse students they encountered during their one-year teaching internship. Their personal and professional experiences with diversity were investigated in order to identify the direct and indirect influences they brought to a culturally diverse classroom. The data for this study consisted of narratives from their one-year teaching internship and their home, schooling, and college experiences with cultural diversity. Each preservice teacher was interviewed twice. The issues that emerged from their narratives were individually presented to give a clear picture of how they each perceived classroom cultural diversity. From their narratives, it is clear that how each of these preservice teachers perceived culturally diverse students was largely influenced by their life histories and experiences with cultural diversity. Cultural preparation in college acquired great significance as they each reflected on their preparation to teach in culturally diverse settings. None of them felt prepared to teach culturally diverse students. Instead, they indicated a preference of working in school settings that exhibited students similar to their own backgrounds. Classroom cultural diversity was seen as presenting special challenges, none of them felt prepared to handle. The implications from this study suggest that more preparation on how to work within culturally diverse classrooms is needed prior to, and during the student teaching internship. / Ph. D.