Thesis (M.A. in education)--Washington State University, May 2010. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on June 23, 2010). "College of Education." Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-57).

Thesis (D. Ed.)--Ball State University, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Nov. 11, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. [120]-146).

The present study investigates the impact on teachers' beliefs and teaching practices of their involvement in an innovative curricular project in Korea. The study explores the experiences of four teachers who were required to teach maths and science using English as the medium of instruction, and the inevitable changes to their practices that resulted when adopting the English language teaching materials. The investigation is a qualitative study, using face-to-face interviews as the main source of data, alongside teaching observations and the adoption of a research diary. Through an in-depth analysis of such data, the present study illuminates some of the concerns of the teachers embarking on the new curriculum, including their perceived lack of English ability, as well as perceived shortcomings of the English language program. However, all four teachers highlighted a number of positive experiences that they had not conceived of previously. The research reveals in some detail the process that the teachers went through from a position of doubt to a position of acceptance. This process reveals a range of emotions and challenges as well as evidence of personal and professional development leading to a broadened perspective on teaching. Overall, this study provides evidence of changes in teacher cognition and instructional practices in a context of educational reform, in which teachers are challenged to learn something new and subsequently, to change their pre-existing beliefs. The study reveals how positive aspects of teacher change can be experienced through their learning efforts, leading to a feeling of self-affirmation in their abilities as a teacher. This finding has particular implications for practitioners involved in teacher development in the field of ELT as well as teacher education more generally.

Implementation of project-based learning (PBL) has contributed to increases in students’ retention of concepts, engagement, and academic success. The problem for this study is that teachers’ and administrators’ experiences and perceptions have not been sought regarding the integration of PBL in the classroom at the school district. The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study was to gain a deeper insight into the experiences of teachers and administrators implementing PBL. Centered on the theory of constructivism, the research questions focused on 10 teachers’ and 5 administrators’ experiences integrating PBL. Face-to-face interviews with participants and 10 classroom observations were conducted. Inductive coding and thematic analysis were used with the collected data. Results indicated that teachers perceived several benefits with PBL such as improved students’ retention and engagement, academic success, and 21st-century skills and a few challenges such as time consuming lesson planning and delivery, and lack of resources and materials. Observations showed improvement in students’ behavior and engagement. Administrators also indicated similar benefits, agreed that there was lack of resources, and perceived challenges to be teachers’ lack of willingness and openness to implement PBL. Recommendations were that schools or district develop accountability measures, best strategies, and curriculum alignment for standards-based PBL. Findings may contribute to positive social change by bringing greater awareness to local educators of the benefits and challenges surrounding implementing PBL. School administrators can foster a school culture and environment for student learning in which teachers are supported and lesson planning and collaboration are prioritized.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2003. / Title from title page screen, viewed October 19, 2005. Dissertation Committee: Rodney P. Riegle, Kenneth H. Strand (co-chairs), George Padavil, Albert T. Azinger. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 158-165) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of College of Education. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

It is a widely held view that theory and practice are the two core elements of a teacher’s knowledge. What is less defined is how the two interact during the process by which teachers learn to be teachers and whether a case should be made for one being more important than the other. Academics have sometimes queried the notion of practice being a part of knowledge because of the difficulty of quantifying it in a tangible manner. Instead knowledge constructs that are theory based are preferred. The practice of asking participants on a teacher education course to reflect critically on their classroom actions is often used to generate theoretical knowledge from the practical. In my research I examine the nature of teacher knowledge from the perspective of participants on a teacher education course using interviews and email correspondence over the duration of the course and up to one year afterwards. I also explore the views of the researcher as teacher educator through a research artefact or scrapbook. From the data collected it seems that teachers undergo a continuous process of theory making from their practical experience and value this self-generated “practice theory” as the most important constituent of teacher knowledge. Their declarative knowledge is a way of acting in the classroom, but it goes beyond simple replication of actions they observe or are instructed to perform. A “practice theory” is constructed from moments of practice which are congruent with pre-formed views of teaching from their experience as learners and is validated by their personal constructs of success, including the response of their own learners. In looking at how teachers gain this knowledge, this thesis questions the paradigm of co-operative social learning which is often assumed to exist on teacher education programmes. Data suggests that course participants act as individuals seeking to survive a difficult process and exhibit a loyalty to their peers which renders the learning relationship with tutors less benign than is often assumed. This in turn calls into question the acceptance of critical reflection as a key part of teacher learning. The thesis also examines processes which are common to teacher education programmes such as observation and structured practice, and proposes that learning teachers’ experience sometimes contradicts what is often assumed to be good practice. The thesis highlights some considerations for teacher educators. It proposes an increased valuing of the practical and the existence of a practice theory, one that can provide knowledge constructs for teachers. In addition, it suggests a refocus for some activities on teacher education courses to make them more congruent with the real experiences of trainees.