Studies have shown that most teachers in South Africa have no background in Environmental Education (EE), have not received pre-service training in EE and very little teacher education has taken place in EE. The Revised National Curriculum Statements emphasise the infusion of EE in all learning areas. There is, however, a problem whether there is a need for professional development of teachers for effective EE. The main aim of this study is to enable teachers to acquire knowledge and skills to infuse EE in all learning areas. The study gathered data through literature review from primary and secondary sources. The questionnaire was developed as a research tool and was sampled to 216 Tshwane North District Office teachers. The collected data are analysed by using the frequency tables indicating percentage of respondents in each category. The study recommends the professional development of teachers for effective implementation of EE in schools. / Educational Studies / M.Ed.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-02-02Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:55:11Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 maitino_lm_me_sjrp.pdf: 868419 bytes, checksum: fe820cea7edc01f65cbd7c9050753d1e (MD5) / A presente pesquisa, de natureza etnográfica, teve por objetivo mapear as crenças inferidas das ações e do discurso de uma professora de língua inglesa e de seus alunos no contexto de ensino médio de uma escola pública, e analisar como a interação dessas crenças influencia o processo de ensino e aprendizagem. Buscou-se, também, propiciar à professora momentos de reflexão sobre suas crenças e as de seus alunos, bem como contribuir para sua formação continuada por meio de leituras e discussões de textos. Em seguida, foram analisadas as possíveis contribuições dessas reflexões para seu discurso e sua prática pedagógica. Foi adotada uma abordagem contextual para o estudo das crenças (BARCELOS, 2001) e, para tal, o contexto histórico, político, ideológico, cultural e social foi retratado. Os instrumentos e procedimentos de coleta de dados utilizados no desenvolvimento desta pesquisa foram: questionários com perguntas abertas, autobiografia dos alunos, entrevistas semi-estruturadas gravadas em áudio, observação de aulas, sessão de visionamento, sessão de história de vida, diário da pesquisadora, gravação das aulas em áudio e vídeo, gravações das conversas com a professora sobre suas crenças e as de seus alunos. Os dados revelaram alguns encontros entre as crenças inferidas do discurso dos alunos e da professora. Contudo, os maiores desencontros aconteceram entre as crenças e expectativas dos alunos e as ações pedagógicas da professora. Os efeitos do trabalho de formação continuada foram positivos, sinalizando mudanças não somente em nível de discurso, mas também nas ações pedagógicas da professora. / This ethnography-based study aimed at mapping the beliefs inferred from the actions and discourse of an English teacher and her high school students from a public school as well as analyzing how the interaction of their beliefs influences the teaching and learning process. It also aimed at providing the teacher with opportunities for reflection on her students. and her own beliefs as well as contributing for her professional development through the contact with and discussion of theories about teaching and learning foreign languages. After that, the possible contributions of such reflections for her discourse and actions were analyzed. A contextual approach (BARCELOS, 2001) was adopted, thus, the historical, political, ideological, cultural and social contexts were depicted. The instruments and procedures used for data collection were: open answer questionnaires, students. autobiography, informal and semi-structured interviews, audio and video recording of classroom interaction, stimulated recall, field notes and researcher.s journal. The results suggest some similarities between teacher.s and students. beliefs inferred from their discourse. However, the biggest mismatches were between students. beliefs and expectations and the teacher.s practice. Her development work effects were positive, pointing out some changes not only in her discourse but also in her practice.

Submitted by Aelson Maciera (aelsoncm@terra.com.br) on 2017-04-24T20:27:48Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissLFB.pdf: 1375416 bytes, checksum: aadce32732c2300305b1b8acaac26d25 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ronildo Prado (ronisp@ufscar.br) on 2017-04-26T13:37:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissLFB.pdf: 1375416 bytes, checksum: aadce32732c2300305b1b8acaac26d25 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ronildo Prado (ronisp@ufscar.br) on 2017-04-26T13:37:34Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissLFB.pdf: 1375416 bytes, checksum: aadce32732c2300305b1b8acaac26d25 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-26T17:23:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissLFB.pdf: 1375416 bytes, checksum: aadce32732c2300305b1b8acaac26d25 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-19 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / This research aims to study the relationship and unfolding of the wage subsidy policy for professional development and teaching work in the state of São Paulo. The initial proposal to subsidize teachers was implemented by the State Secretariat of Education of São Paulo, through Complementary Law No. 891 of 2000, which instituted the Merit Bonus, but the study was delimited in the proposal presented by Complementary Law No. 1,078 of 2008 that deals with the Bonification by Results (BR). These bonuses would be paid to the servants in office at the State Secretariat of Education of São Paulo who have met the established goals, which aim, according to the Law itself, to improve and improve the quality of public education in São Paulo. The research has a qualitative and dialectical character. The collection of official documents was used as data collection procedures on the website of the State Secretariat of Education of São Paulo; The bibliographic survey on websites of periodicals, universities and thesis and dissertation banks; As well as interviews with teachers of basic education in a municipality in the interior of the state of São Paulo. The results were triangulated, analyzed and interpreted through authors who are based on historical-dialectical materialism, seeking to broaden the understanding of the unfolding perceived by teachers in their work and professional development from the relationship between educational goals and salary bonuses. It was found that the bonus policies are linked to a worldwide movement, in which the USA and England stand out as precursors to the development of such wage subsidy policies. In the state of São Paulo, the specific goals for each school unit are proposed based on the São Paulo State Education Development Index (IDESP), which is composed of the São Paulo State School Income Assessment System (SARESP) and the Students in the initial and final years of Elementary and Middle School. The general results indicate the teachers' discontent regarding the way in which the bonus policy is developed, since it negatively impacts on the work of the teacher, devaluing it to the detriment of the achievement of the IDESP goals, with the devaluation of the other disciplines due to the focus Of the Portuguese Language and Mathematics, being configured, in this sense, the teaching for the test. It is also noticed in the teachers' interviews, the feeling of loss of the teaching identity due to the new roles assigned to the school, causing the teaching sometimes to be at the mercy of other demands that are not a function of the teacher, causing them The feeling of devaluation of the exercise of the profession itself and loss of autonomy in teaching due to the strong directives of the teaching board. Finally, professional development has also been negatively impacted, since the offer of continuing education courses has been limited to the courses offered by the SEE, which are directed to the implementation of the curriculum and that, in general, displease the teachers, causing these, only participate in them for salary progression. It should be stressed that continuing education alone does not guarantee the improvement of students' performance and that a better articulation between initial, continuing, career planning and public investment in material conditions is needed to improve education rates. Therefore, the negative impact that the bonus policy generates at school and, especially, on the work and professional development of teachers is revealed. / A presente pesquisa teve como objetivo estudar a relação e os desdobramentos da política de bonificação salarial para o desenvolvimento profissional e o trabalho docente no estado de São Paulo. A proposta inicial de bonificar os professores foi implementada pela Secretaria de Estado da Educação de São Paulo (SEE-SP), por meio da Lei Complementar nº 891 de 2000, que instituiu o Bônus Mérito, porém delimitou-se o estudo na proposta apresentada pela Lei Complementar nº 1.078 de 2008 que versa sobre a Bonificação por Resultados (BR). Esses bônus seriam pagos aos servidores em exercício na Secretaria de Estado da Educação de São Paulo os quais tenham cumprido as metas estabelecidas, que visam, segundo a própria Lei, ao aprimoramento e à melhoria da qualidade do ensino público paulista. A pesquisa apresenta caráter qualitativo e dialético. Foram utilizados como procedimentos de coleta de dados o levantamento de documentos oficiais no site da Secretaria de Estado da Educação de São Paulo; o levantamento bibliográfico em sites de periódicos, universidades e em bancos de teses e dissertações; bem como a realização de entrevistas com professores da educação básica de um município do interior do estado de São Paulo. Os resultados foram triangulados, analisados e interpretados por meio de autores que se fundamentam no materialismo histórico-dialético, buscando a ampliação da compreensão sobre os desdobramentos percebidos pelos docentes em seu trabalho e desenvolvimento profissional a partir da relação entre metas educacionais e bônus salarial. Constatou-se que as políticas de bonificação estão atreladas a um movimento mundial, em que se destacam EUA e Inglaterra como precursores do desenvolvimento de tais políticas de bonificação salarial. No estado de São Paulo as metas específicas para cada unidade escolar são propostas a partir do Índice de Desenvolvimento da Educação do Estado de São Paulo (IDESP) que é composto pelo Sistema de Avaliação de Rendimento Escolar do Estado de São Paulo (SARESP) e o fluxo escolar dos alunos nos anos iniciais e finais do Ensino Fundamental e Médio. Os resultados gerais indicam o descontentamento dos professores em relação à forma como a política de bonificação é desenvolvida, pois ela impacta negativamente no trabalho do professor desvalorizando-o em detrimento do alcance das metas do IDESP, com a desvalorização das demais disciplinas em função do foco em Língua Portuguesa e Matemática, configurando-se, nesse sentido, o ensino para o teste. Percebe-se também nas entrevistas dos professores, a sensação de perda da identidade docente em função dos novos papéis atribuídos à escola, fazendo com que o ensino, às vezes, fique à mercê de demais demandas que não são função do professor, causando-lhes a sensação de desvalorização do próprio exercício da profissão e perda de autonomia no ensino em função das fortes diretrizes da diretoria de ensino. Por fim, o desenvolvimento profissional também foi impactado negativamente, pois a oferta de cursos de formação continuada tem sido limitada aos cursos oferecidos pela SEE-SP, que são direcionados à implementação do currículo e que, de maneira geral, desagradam os professores, fazendo com que estes, só participem dos mesmos para progressão salarial. Destaca-se que a formação continuada por si só não garante a melhoria dos desempenhos dos alunos e que é necessária maior articulação entre a formação inicial, continuada, plano de carreira e o investimento público nas condições materiais para se melhorarem os índices da educação. Desvela-se, portanto o impacto negativo que a política de bonificação gera na escola e, em especial, no trabalho e no desenvolvimento profissional dos professores.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:42:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 5386340 bytes, checksum: 71a1471d0543ac37b37195fc51906dd2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-12-19 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Low performance in reading activities and, mainly, in writing is a problem that affects students of all ages and levels of education, including higher education, in several subjects. Therefore, the expansion of literacy practice has been one of the main objectives of Education in recent years, particularly of professionals who work with language teaching. This expansion requires a new conception of teaching-learning of reading and writing, based on the study of textual genres, with emphasis on their social-historical-ideological aspects. It also requires that we teachers should have a critical-reflective positioning, in which we play the role of researcher and literacy agents. For this, we needed to grasp different textual genres, among them, the academic and scientific, and particularly the Research Project. Several theoretical and methodological proposals have emerged in order to help us to take these difficulties and these essential tasks. One of the most complete is the Social-discursive Interactionism (SDI), because it considers language as unit of analysis, the active conducts and the conscious thought in order to explain the process of texts-discourses production, considering it as a tool to human development. Our work is situated in this theoretical and methodological approach and aims at investigating the process of the textual genre Research Project for pre-graduate students in Literature. To achieve the objective mapped out, we conducted an action research with Modern Languages students of the sixth semester of a private institution of the state of Bahia. Our tools for data collection were direct observation and participatory implementation of a Pre-Test, of a Post-Test and several activities of production and rewriting. We organized the results of our research into four chapters: 1 Teacher development and Academic Literacy (HENGEMUHLE, 2007; TARDIF, 2002; AMARAL, and MOREIRA RIBEIRO, 1996; LOPES, 1997; SOARES, 1998 and 2005; Bazerman, 2006; OLSON , 1997; KLEIMAN, 1995 and 2006, and MATENCIO, 2006); 2 Social-discursive Interactionism: path to support the analysis and the scaling of literacy practices(BRONCKART, 1999 and 2006 and MACHASDO, 2005); 3 Research Project: the first step to the development of investigative attitude (ABNT NBR 15287: 2005; GIL, 2002; LUNA, 2006; MICHEL, 2005; Bagno, 1998; MACHADO, LOUSADA and ABREU-TARDELLI, 2005), and 4 The understanding of the Genre Research Project for Students of undergraduate Course in Literature: a process of (re) construction of knowledge. We concluded that initial representations relating to both the concept and the superstructure of the genre studied focuses predominantly on the textual typology discourse. Meanwhile, the final representations are guided into the version of the research project studied in the classroom. Items which have caused more difficulties were: the problems, because of the background knowledge triggered by vocabulary which named this item, usually related to the difficulty, and the objectives, by not differentiating the personal, the teaching and research objectives. Based on analyzed the data, it was found that the apprehension of the genre Research Project triggers a continuous process of (re) construction of knowledge, especially linguistic-textual and enunciative-discursive knowledge as well as the reconstruction of concepts concerning the genre itself. / O baixo desempenho nas atividades de leitura e, principalmente, de escrita é um problema que afeta alunos de todas as idades e níveis de ensino, inclusive os de ensino superior, nas mais diversas disciplinas. Por isso, a ampliação das práticas de letramento tem sido um dos principais objetivos da Educação nos últimos anos, especialmente, dos profissionais que trabalham com o ensino de línguas. Essa ampliação exige uma nova concepção de ensino-aprendizagem de leitura e de escrita, pautada no estudo dos gêneros textuais, com ênfase em seus aspectos sócio-histórico-ideológicos. Requer também que nós, professores, assumamos uma postura crítico-reflexivo, na qual exerçamos o papel de pesquisador e de agentes de letramento. Para tanto, precisamos nos apropriar de diferentes gêneros textuais, dentre eles, dos acadêmico-científicos e, particularmente, do Projeto de Pesquisa. Várias propostas teórico-metodológicas têm surgido no intuito de auxiliarmo-nos a assumir essas difíceis e imprescindíveis tarefas. Uma das mais completas é o Interacionismo Sociodiscursivo (ISD), pois toma como unidades de análise a linguagem, as condutas ativas e o pensamento consciente, com o intuito de explicar o processo de produção de textos-discursos, considerando-os como instrumentos de desenvolvimento humano. Nosso trabalho situa-se nessa abordagem teórico-metodológica e tem como objetivo principal investigar o processo de apreensão do gênero textual Projeto de Pesquisa por alunos pré-concluintes licenciandos em Letras. Para atingirmos o objetivo traçado, realizamos uma pesquisa-ação com alunos do VI período de um curso de Licenciatura Letras de uma instituição particular do interior do estado da Bahia. Nossos instrumentos de coleta de dados foram a observação direta participativa e a aplicação de um Pré-Teste, de um Pós-Teste e de várias atividades de produção e reescritura. Organizamos os resultados de nossa pesquisa em quatro capítulos: 1 Formação do Professor Pesquisador e Letramento Acadêmico (HENGEMUHLE, 2007; TARDIF, 2002; AMARAL, MOREIRA e RIBEIRO, 1996; LOPES, 1997; SOARES, 1998 e 2005; BAZERMAN, 2006; OLSON, 1997; KLEIMAN, 1995 e 2006; e MATENCIO, 2006); 2 Interacionismo Sociodiscursivo: caminho para subsidiar a análise e o redimensionamento das práticas de letramento (BRONCKART, 1999 e 2006 e MACHASDO, 2005); 3 Projeto de Pesquisa: primeiro passo para o desenvolvimento da postura investigativa (ABNT NBR 15287: 2005; GIL, 2002; LUNA, 2006; MICHEL, 2005; BAGNO, 1998; MACHADO, LOUSADA e ABREU-TARDELLI, 2005); e 4 A Apreensão do Gênero Projeto de Pesquisa por alunos Pré-concluintes do Curso de Letras: um processo de (re) construção do conhecimento. Concluímos que as representações iniciais referentes tanto à conceituação como à superestrutura do gênero em estudo centram-se, predominantemente, na tipologia textual dissertativa. Entretanto, as representações finais pautam-se no modelo do Projeto de Pesquisa trabalhado em sala. Os itens que provocaram maiores dificuldades foram: os Problemas, em virtude do conhecimento de mundo acionado pelo vocábulo que nomeia esse item, geralmente, relacionado à dificuldade; e os Objetivos, pela não diferenciação de objetivos pessoais, de ensino e de pesquisa. Frente aos dados analisados, constatamos que a apropriação do gênero Projeto de Pesquisa aciona um processo contínuo de (re) construção do conhecimento, particularmente, do conhecimento linguístico-textual e enunciativo-discursivo, bem como a reconstrução das concepções concernentes ao próprio gênero.

O objetivo desta dissertação é compreender de que maneira o olhar do formador influencia nas práticas e contribui para as aprendizagens de professores de inglês dentro de um contexto de formação em que o diálogo entre esses agentes é parte das premissas do programa de formação. Trata-se de pesquisa qualitativa, de natureza descritiva e exploratória (COHEN, MANION, 2002). Utiliza-se dos procedimentos delineados pela metodologia de análise de conteúdo (MORAES, 1999) para encontrar e compreender as mudanças e permanências de ações dos professores após a participação em Oficinas de Formação e durante as sessões de Acompanhamento (Feedback). Apoia-se, principalmente, nos conceitos de desenvolvimento profissional (OLIVEIRA-FORMOSINHO, 2009), nos saberes docentes (TARDIF, 2012) e nos modelos de formação de professores com perspectiva crítico-reflexiva (NUNES e NUNES, 2013). Reflete sobre a formação inicial do professor de inglês e a valorização das línguas estrangeiras nas escolas públicas brasileiras (FERRO,1998; DINIZ-PEREIRA, 1999; LEFFA, 2001; PAIVA, 1997, 2003; BUSNARDI e FERNANDES, 2010) e consequentemente sobre os desafios para a formação contínua de professores de inglês para crianças (ROCHA, 2007; IALAOGA e DURAN, 2008; SEGANFREDO e BENEDETTTI, 2009). Conclui que um olhar que integra os conhecimentos dos agentes da formação (professor e formador) aos conhecimentos da formação promove mais aprendizagens, contudo, não é determinante, há mais o que se considerar. Finalmente, aponta para a necessidade de valorização dos saberes da prática e das concepções de ensino-aprendizagem, não só dos saberes disciplinares, para a criação de programas de formação de formadores. / This dissertation aims to understand how the vision of the education influences and contributes to teacher development in a context where dialogue between them is part of the premise of the teacher educator program. It is a qualitative research of exploratory and descriptive nature (COHEN, MANION, 2002). It relies on procedures from content analysis (MORAES, 1999) to search and comprehend changes or stagnation of teachers action after the course of workshops and during feedback meetings. The text is mainly grounded in the concepts of professional development (OLIVEIRA-FORMOSINHO, 2009) and teacher knowledge (TARDIF, 2012) as well as model for teacher development based on a critical-reflective perspective (NUNES e NUNES, 2013). It discusses under-graduation courses for English teachers and the value or not - of foreign languages in Brazilian public schools (FERRO, 1998; DINIZ-PEREIRA, 1999; LEFFA, 2001; PAIVA, 1997, 2003; BUSNARDI e FERNANDES, 2010); therefore, it brings out the challenges for English teachers when they attend in-service courses for teaching children (ROCHA, 2007; IALAOGA e DURAN, 2008; SEGANFREDO e BENEDETTTI, 2009). It concludes that if the trainer looks at the teacher and his/her knowledge in an integrative way, the teacher is more likely to gain new knowledge. However, the look is not determining, there is more to it. Finally, this dissertation suggests the need to value not only teacher educators academic knowledge, but experience and learning and teaching concepts as principles for being a teacher educator, among other criteria.

The study focused on the effects of Continuing Professional Teacher Development on teachers’ workload in the Gauteng province. Apart from the literature review, the objectives of this study were: to determine the understanding of new approaches to Continuing Professional Development on the workload of teachers. To establish the administrative barriers that frustrate teachers’ efforts in accepting responsibility for improving not only their practice, but also the shared practice of the profession. To draw recommendations for the successful implementation of Continuing Professional Teacher Development on teachers’ workload in the Gauteng province. The qualitative research methodology was adopted and engaged to investigate the effects of CPTD on teachers’ workload in Gauteng schools. The importance or significance of the study was to find out ways and means of dealing with the new roles that form part of teachers’ workload. The participants’ perceptions on the topic were generally in agreement that the schools value the Professional Development initiatives of teachers. Additionally, their learners’ scholastic achievements showed a great improvement as a result. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Phil. (Educational Leadership and Management)

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effective implementation of instructional supervision practices in secondary schools of Hawassa City Administration in Ethiopia. The study focuses particularly on the practices and roles of supervisors in the implementation of instructional supervision, and the factors affecting its implementation in secondary schools. Basic questions related to the availability of instructional supervision strategies and their implementation, the roles of instructional leaders, perceptions of instructional supervision, and challenges for proper implementation of instructional supervision were raised. In addition, strategies for strengthening the effective implementation of instructional supervision were also addressed. The study was framed within the Theory of Change in Teachers’ viewpoints on instructional practices. In fact, there is a strong link with the instructional leadership strategies and the role of supervisors for the effective implementation of instructional supervision practices. The Instructional Supervision Model was used as it integrates the activities of instructional supervision in the schools. Moreover,this study reviewed global perspectives on educational supervision and provided an overview of the study context with an emphasis on improvement of instructional supervision. Philosophically, this study followed the pragmatist research paradigm, employing mixed research approaches; it also employed an explanatory sequential design in which both quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously, interpreted separately and combined at the time of discussion for better understanding of the problem. Data were gathered from 160 supervision teams (vice-principals, senior teachers, unit leaders and department heads), 185 teachers. In addition, 14 principals and supervisors took part in interviews. One focus group discussion was also conducted with the city educational experts. Data were gathered through survey questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, FGD question guides and document reviews. Quantitative data was analysed through the descriptive approaches such as percentage, mean, grand mean and inferential statistics, known as standard division and t-test. Qualitative data collected through interviews and FGDs was summarised through thematic and narrative techniques, and finally triangulated. The results indicated that the quantitative and qualitative data supported one another. It was found that school supervision in line with strategies was inadequate. In addition, school supervision corresponding to the expected standards was not effectively done. The extent to which instructional supervisors design various intervention strategies so as to assist teacher’s professional improvement was insufficient. Evidence showed that instructional supervisors’ role in building effective relationship in schools was weak. Supportive, directive, conflict management and monitoring and supervising roles in the implementation of instructional supervision were also found to be inadequate. The teachers did not have enough support from supervisors in order to improve their instructional skills, and there was a negative perception of teachers about the implementation of instructional supervision. On the other hand, effective implementation of instructional supervision was hampered by a lack of qualified instructional supervisors, management skills, professional manuals, cooperation, and motivation for work and a lack of training and funding. Inadequate facilities and assignment of small number of supervisors hindered proper implementation of instructional supervision. Moreover, lack of commitment on the part of teachers and school leaders, lack of effective stakeholder support, lack of respect among stakeholders, lack of participatory supervisory approach and lack of adequate guidance between instructional leaders hampered instructional supervision. Based on the findings, instructional leaders, teachers, supervisors, school instructional supervision team and school communities need to be well equipped with basic knowledge and skills on the implementation of school instructional supervision, through pre-service and in-service training, experience-sharing programmes, seminars, workshops and discussion forums about the different approaches of supervision in order to enhance the professional growth of teachers and improve their instructional practices. This could help in fostering critical thinking and the problem-solving capacity of the supervisors. Moreover, the instructional leaders in schools need to plan for continuous training and orientation on the nature, practice and significance of instructional supervision. Suggestions were made to solve the factors that hinder proper implementation of instructional supervision. / Educational Management and Leadership / Ph. D. (Education Management)

No description available.

The use of technology in assisting educators to use student data in well-devised ways to enhance the instruction received by students is gaining headway and the support of federal dollars across the nation. Since research has not provided insight as to whether or not reading coaches are using data technology tools with teachers, this mixed methods study sought to examine what behavioral intentions reading coaches have in using data technology tools with teachers, what variables may influence their behavioral intentions, and what trends may emerge in their views about using technology data tools with teachers. A mixed methods approach was deployed via a survey embedded in an email, and data from 61 Florida reading coaches from elementary, middle, and high schools in a large urban school district were examined using an adaptation of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The results showed that collectively all reading coaches have a high level of behavioral intentions towards using a data technology tool with teachers. The study also showed that elementary, middle, and high school reading coaches vary in their degree of behavioral intentions in using a data technology tool based on different variables. Trends in data showed that reading coaches think data technology tools are helpful, but that trainings are needed and that technology tools should be user-friendly. Discussion is provided regarding the implications of the study results for all stakeholders.

The purpose of the newly implemented Transitional Kindergarten program in California is to provide an additional year of early childhood education to young students in order to prepare them for school (American Institutes for Research, 2012). The implementation of Transitional Kindergarten into California’s public school districts was executed quickly without clear guidelines or training for teachers. The resultant gap in understanding Transitional Kindergarten’s goals is an educational issue that needs to be addressed. Until standards and guidelines are finalized for Transitional Kindergarten programs, California’s school districts decide how to implement their programs. The purpose of this research study was to examine the extent to which Transitional Kindergarten teachers perceive they are prepared to teach in a Transitional Kindergarten Classroom and to identify resources, support for, and professional development teachers in TK believe they need. The following research questions guided the study: 1. To what extent do participants perceive they are prepared to teach in a Transitional Kindergarten class? 2. To what extent does the level of perceived preparedness correlate to the participants’ years of experience, type of district, or Pre-school teaching experience? 3. What resources, support, and professional development opportunities do participants believe they need from their school district to teach in a Transitional Kindergarten class? Through an analysis of a quantitative survey, the conclusion of this study confirmed that Early Childhood Education knowledge is desired by Transitional Kindergarten teachers. The researcher contacted forty-five Transitional Kindergarten teachers within San Joaquin County and seventeen teachers participated. The study found that the additional support desired by Transitional Kindergarten teachers are: 1) teachers aides/assistants, 2) help with assessments, and 3) a more clear message about what Transitional Kindergarten curriculum should cover. It is recommended by the researcher based on the results that districts provide clarity about the expectations of TK to all stakeholders, create an implementation guide, and clear standards for all TK teachers.