This study investigated the effectiveness of three in—service training models in humanizing teachers' attitudes toward children. Each model was analyzed separately and then compared with each of the others. The purposes of this study were to determine whether teachers, after participating in one of three in-service models, would experience positive changes in attitudes toward children and would maintain these changes for at least three months. The findings of this study support the conclusion that none of the three in-service programs, as conducted in this study, were effective in changing teachers' attitudes. Possibly the in-service programs lacked cohesiveness and continuity owing to the time intervals between the four sessions. Another possible explanation for the ineffectiveness of the programs is found in the relatively short duration of the programs.

Effective instructional practice has a significant impact on student learning. Shared personal practice within a professional learning team (PLT) is one of the key elements in consistently improved instructional practice. However, this PLT characteristic is often the least evident and the hardest to absorb into PLT culture. This study examined the relational characteristics, facilitating factors, or barriers to shared personal practice within a PLT. Two PLTs in core subject areas across two Texas high school campuses were included in this comparative case study. Data from document analysis, PLC observations, focus group interviews, and in-depth individual interviews were examined thematically to answer the research questions guiding this study. The results of this study revealed that building strong relationships and an emphasis on collective creativity were strong predictors of sharing personal practice. Collective clarity on PLT practices and the purpose of sharing personal practice increased the success and occurrence of sharing personal practice. The results also revealed that the copious tasks of teaching and negative perceptions of being observed by colleagues hindered consistent sharing of personal practice. This study describes the current context of shared personal practice as a foundation for future studies to examine how practice can be transformed.

Three first-year agriculture teachers were analyzed using the case study approach. The descriptive account presents each teacher's daily events in chronological order. Two traditional teacher education degree teachers and one alternative certified teacher are described. The descriptive account uses data gathered through transcribed daily logs, personal interviews, and participant observations. Each teacher experienced different daily events, however the data analysis revealed certain themes. Each teacher experienced difficulty in a particular area early in the school year and needed specific assistance. Also, student interactions greatly affected all three teachers. The teachers reported personal stress and frustration in the area of student discipline. As a result of some tragedy, each teacher served as a counselor to their students at some point in the school year. The teachers received many positive results from their Future Farmers of America local chapters. Another theme was observed in the area of instructional management. The teachers experienced varying degrees of difficulty in curriculum development, lesson planning, and teaching techniques. The area of time management caused problems for these teachers throughout the school year. Administrators also influenced the daily lives of these three beginning agriculture teachers. The area of health concerns was the final theme observed. All three teachers experienced illness during the school year. In addition, all three commented on the frequency that their students were ill. / Master of Science

This inquiry examined the practice of instructional coaching in a large, low-performing, high-poverty urban high school. The participation of instructional coaches was examined in light of the school's attempt to construct a culture of social justice in a long-marginalized community. This research examined at instructional coaching through the framework of social reproduction theory in order to ascertain specific instructional coaching practices that may substantiate or validate the existence of legitimation, deskilling of teachers, and cultural hegemony, in an urban secondary school. Among key findings were 1) the disconnect between the intended purpose of instructional coaching and the actual interactions between the coach and teachers have the resultant effect of legitimation through the deskilling of teachers; 2) documentary evidence revealed that the curricula promoted by the instructional coaches at the Education Complex results in a cultural hegemony, having the reductionist effect of narrowing the curriculum to only the most basic levels of cognition, and proffering only what is deemed "legitimate" knowledge. Methods included interviews with instructional coaches, examination of documentary evidence, and observations of instructional coaching activities.

The primary purpose of this study was to compare three instructional delivery systems for providing basic math skills training to non-degree industrial and technical teachers. Also examined was the extent to which selected teacher background characteristics were associated with test performance. Additionally, the three treatment groups were compared on the basis of student ratings of selected items on the course evaluation instrument. Eighty-four non-degree industrial and technical teachers teaching in West Virginia were given a pretest on basic math skills. This pretest was followed by a seven-week period of basic math review and remediation using one of three instructional delivery systems. The three instructional delivery systems included Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI), Individualized Learning Modules (ILM), and the traditional lecture (LEC). A posttest was administered to participants at the end of the review and remediation period. An analysis of covariance was used to compare the mean posttest scores for each of the three treatment groups. The pretest score served as the covariate. Results of the study indicated that although there were substantial gains in basic math scores within each treatment group there was no significant difference in mean posttest scores when comparing the three treatment groups. Computing the Pearson Product-Moment correlation in assessing the relationship between selected teacher background characteristics and posttest scores, it was found that the variables pretest and age were significantly related. Pretest scores had a high positive correlation to posttest scores while age had a moderate negative correlation. A one-way analysis of variance was used to compare the ratings of selected items on the course evaluation instrument. No significant difference in ratings between treatment groups was found for any of the items compared. / Ed. D.

This investigation on teacher induction documents case studies of three beginning teachers in one target Woreda in Amhara Regional State of Ethiopia. It is organized into six chapters. In Ethiopia, the implementation of the teacher induction programme began in 2005 as part of a larger teacher education reform that is designed to promote the quality and effectiveness of teachers. Five years into the implementation process, it became essential to investigate how well the induction practices are organized and implemented, how beginning teachers were being integrated into the system, and whether the whole process has given beginning teachers better opportunities to learn in practice than by trial and error. The research design for the present investigation was the case study method. As teacher induction is a new venture in the Ethiopian education system, it was important to establish an in-depth understanding of this new phenomenon through case study than making generalizations. My literature readings convinced me about the use of the case study method to do an in-depth study of the situation. Interviews, observations and document analyses were the main tools used to collect the data needed in this research. The data suggests that the three case study teachers, with the support from their respective mentors, completed the formal aspects of the first year induction course as prescribed by the two first-year induction modules. The induction approach followed and applied the course module materials as is. However, in spite of following the prescriptions by the education authorities, variations were noticed in the quantity and quality of professional development activities, action research projects, classroom observations and reflections offered to and completed by the three beginning teachers. Furthermore, the changes observed as a result of the induction programme also varied largely due to personal and situational factors. On the whole, even though the induction guidelines set by the Ethiopian Ministry of Education contain most of the fundamental components of what the literature would consider to be effective for the induction programmes, its implementation in this context was constrained by the lack of some key elements and resources viz. the limited capacity of the mentors, absence of allocated time for induction and mentoring activities in the school programme, lack of subject-specific support in the schools and ineffective monitoring and evaluation of the entire programme, both in school and at the district levels. The present investigation offers policy makers a window into the practices and possible consequences of the induction programme in Ethiopia and presents possibilities for making informed decisions about how to assist practitioners to establish a successful induction programme for beginning teachers. Furthermore, the study offers an empirical test of the theoretical models suggested for setting up effective induction programmes for beginning teachers. The major conclusion that arises is that it is not so much whether the formal aspects of an induction programme are in place or not but more how the on-going support for and interpretations by all the role players that determines the success or otherwise of the programme. It is suggested that more research be done on the conditions that are necessary for the success of beginning teacher induction programme in different contexts in the country. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

School-based induction programmes largely focus on informing beginner teachers about the school culture and infrastructure, yet, the core business of education is teaching and learning. A consensus is, however, growing among educators and researchers that despite the positive experiences novice teachers experience during school-based induction programmes, they also experience challenges which affect their perceptions of school-based induction. Despite those challenges in the education sector, hope for the future, as guided by Vision 2030, still remains with one essential human resource: the teachers themselves. Therefore, if novice teachers are to impact profoundly on the learners’ academic achievement, then quality induction programmes must be in place in Namibian schools in order to support their instructional growth. A comprehensive nation-wide induction effort with high emphasise on mentoring will accelerate novice teacher efficacy and consequently learner learning. The purpose of this research study was to identify beginner teachers’ perceptions of school-based induction at selected primary schools in Windhoek and suggested a framework which may inform future research efforts and improve the application of school-based induction. To do this, a qualitative research methodology was preferred to assess the perceptions of novice teachers at the selected schools. Eight beginner teachers and four Heads of Departments participated in the study. The result draws attention to the professional enculturation of beginner teachers, but notably, compels practical reconsideration on how school-based induction is practised in light of beginner teacher growth and sustainability. / Educational Management and Leadership / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

Mentorship as a tool to develop the pedagogical and content knowledge of inservice teachers, regardless of experience, is a field in education which has gained popularity worldwide. The review of literature however, provided evidence that mentoring in education has primarily focused on the benefits received by novice teachers and not experienced teachers. Areas addressed in the literature review include the important role of continuous professional development programmes in the improvement of the teachers’ classroom practices and by inference, their learners’ achievements. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences and understandings of seven experienced natural science teachers as mentees in a professional development programme (the ILLS project). Through the use of a qualitative case study approach, I examined the activities that supported the development of the participants as they interacted with the guided support of a mentor teacher, and aimed to understand how the mentees made sense of their experiences in this mentoring relationship. The activities included lesson-planning, classroom observations and reflection meetings and the professional development support, through mentoring, was embedded on-site and in-context. This research revealed that the mentee teachers were motivated by the opportunity to enhance their professional growth through the support of a mentor. The teachers also perceived that their subject content and pedagogical knowledge were enriched by participating in the mentoring process. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

黃晶榕. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 298-348) / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Huang Jingrong.

Five experienced primary school teachers were involved in the study. In-depth interviews and non-participatory observation were used to collect data. Based on thick description of five cases individually and a comprehensive comparison among them, the research revealed: (1) Teacher trainers need to take a multi-dimensional view to study the difficulties teachers encountered in implementing reform initiatives; (2) Teacher learning should take account of both "teacher" and "learning". The research highlighted that teacher professional development and personal growth are closely interrelated; (3) In different sectors (such as, the starting point of learning, the learning task, learning methods, the learning approach, learning progress and learning support), as well as at different levels, (such as, supportive vs. accelerative), teacher-change agency partnerships may have a positive influence on teacher learning. However, the professional capacity of the change agency, and the unique needs of the school played a crucial role in shaping the efficacy of the relationship between both partners and also the level of teacher learning. / Over the last decade, educational reformers in Hong Kong have targeted teacher development and learning as a key area of need. As part of this movement, different external change agencies began developing partnerships with school as attempts to enhance the quality of teacher professional development. Such partnerships have operated for a number of years, but, to date, their efficacy has been largely unexplored. This research, taking teachers' implementation of project learning as an example, aims to explore the impact of teacher-change agency partnerships on teacher learning. The study is important in helping educators to better understand the difficulties teachers face when engaging in changes and also teachers' learning need. This research also reveals the effects of teacher-change agency partnership and its impact on teacher learning. This study can shed lights on ways of curriculum change and teacher development. / The research posed four questions: (1) What difficulties do teachers face while carrying out project learning in school? (2) What kind of learning did teachers experience while involved in the teacher-change agency partnership? (3) Within the context of educational change, did teacher-change agency partnerships have an impact on teacher learning? (4) What do teacher-change agencies need to consider if partnership is to achieve positive results? / To conclude, based on the five personal narratives and with reference to relevant literature review, the research suggested that a broader discussion is needed in the area, and recommended a conceptual framework which may guide further development. / 朱嘉穎. / 論文(哲學博士)--香港中文大學, 2005. / 參考文獻(p. 283-298). / Adviser: Hin-wah Wong. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2444. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts also in English. / School code: 1307. / Lun wen (Zhe xue bo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 2005. / Can kao wen xian (p. 283-298). / Zhu Jiaying.