Professional development in education is often a process focused on teachers' limitations. Teachers are rarely offered choices in professional development, nor are they asked to qualify the attributes of their professional development experiences they find most meaningful. This study situates the National Writing Project as a specific professional development program from which to consider teachers' beliefs and perceptions regarding their professional development experiences. The study begins with a broad view of professional development, then directs attention to the Writing Project as a professional development model. Ten teachers participated in individual and focus group interviews for the study. Interview data were collected and analyzed using a qualitative phenomenological approach to discern the features of the Writing Project that teachers value as a professional development experience. Results from this study include five essential elements of the Writing Project experience as reported by participants. Results show that the Writing Project builds teachers' instructional and pedagogical capacity, sponsors teachers' professional voice, breaks down isolationism, connects teachers to the writer within themselves, and attracts leaders while facilitating leadership in its members. The study concludes with a discussion of the implications researchers and educators may draw from the results.

In order to provide evidence of the worth of the Summer Institute of the National Writing Project, this study sought to determine whether participation in the professional development would increase feelings of teacher efficacy in writing. The Summer Institute professional development is consistent with recommendations of researchers in teacher efficacy and in professional development. Albert Bandura?s social cognitive theory provides a contextual framework for both teacher efficacy and the Summer Institute. The study compared the pre- and posttest scores on the Teacher Efficacy Scale for Writing and Writing Orientation Scale (Graham, S., Harris, K. R., Fink, B. & MacArthur, C., 2001) reported by 65 teachers participating in the Summer Institute. The study investigated relationships between beliefs about writing and feelings of efficacy. Dependent samples t-tests showed statistically significantly higher posttest scores for personal teaching efficacy t(63) = -5.96, SE = 7.34, p < .001 and for general teaching efficacy t(63) = -2.96, SE = .11, p = .004. Statistically significant higher posttest scores were found in natural learning in teaching writing, t(61) = -4.87, SE = .104, p < .001. No statistically significant differences were found for correctness in teaching writing and explicit instruction in teaching writing. Correlation analysis of posttest mean scores indicated statistically significant correlations between personal teaching efficacy and explicit instruction in writing (r = .419, p = .001) and between mean scores in general teaching efficacy and correctness in writing (r = -.317, p = .012). Results suggest that participation in the Summer Institute could enhance teacher efficacy in writing and increase student performance on writing assessments. The Institute?s focus on process writing seems to be effective in changing teachers? perspectives on writing instruction. Results support a recommendation that types of professional development in which teachers have participated should be used as a source of variance in research on teacher efficacy. Other suggestions include allowing more time to pass before administration of the posttest or a third administration of the instruments to subjects after returning to classrooms and implementing the ideas.

In a small, mixed method study, fifteen second grade students in one classroom in a low socioeconomic school were recruited to study their motivation in reading and writing and to see if their motivation improved with a collaborative reading-writing project. These fifteen children were given a pre-survey on their motivation to read and write to determine how they felt before the collaborative reading-writing project was started. As students completed their portion of the project, they were given the same survey questions as a post-evaluative tool. The researcher also interviewed students to get a more in-depth understanding on their feelings about reading and writing as well as their feelings about the collaborative project. Analysis of observations, pre- and post-surveys and interviews showed that the biggest motivation was the social interaction among students. The researcher hopes that through this analysis administrators can make positive changes in our schools and language arts curriculums.

O objetivo deste trabalho é o de analisar aspectos de construção narrativa no romance A Casa da Cabeça de Cavalo, de Teolinda Gersão, focando principalmente os expedientes de contar e recontar histórias ou os de apresentar as muitas versões possíveis para um mesmo acontecimento, constituindo o que podemos denominar como o jogo das histórias, a estratégia narrativa básica utilizada no romance. Aborda-se, também, o cotejo e o diálogo da obra em foco com determinados aspectos que se revelam em alguns dos romances anteriores de Teolinda e que podem, assim, vir a reforçar a situação de um projeto de escrita que se mostra pertinente e que se intenta associar à produção romanesca geral da autora. / This dissertation aims at analyzing aspects related to the narrative construction within the novel A Casa da Cabeça de Cavalo by Teolinda Gersão with a main focus on the strategies used to either tell and retell stories or to present the several possible versions to describe the same occurrence, which comprise what can be deemed as being the game of the stories: the basic narrative strategy used in the novel. The quotations and the dialogue of the piece studied are also investigated with a focus on aspects that comprise some of the previous novels by Teolinda which can also reinforce the need to establish a relevant writing project that aims at associating the general authors romanesque production.

O objetivo deste trabalho é o de analisar aspectos de construção narrativa no romance A Casa da Cabeça de Cavalo, de Teolinda Gersão, focando principalmente os expedientes de contar e recontar histórias ou os de apresentar as muitas versões possíveis para um mesmo acontecimento, constituindo o que podemos denominar como o jogo das histórias, a estratégia narrativa básica utilizada no romance. Aborda-se, também, o cotejo e o diálogo da obra em foco com determinados aspectos que se revelam em alguns dos romances anteriores de Teolinda e que podem, assim, vir a reforçar a situação de um projeto de escrita que se mostra pertinente e que se intenta associar à produção romanesca geral da autora. / This dissertation aims at analyzing aspects related to the narrative construction within the novel A Casa da Cabeça de Cavalo by Teolinda Gersão with a main focus on the strategies used to either tell and retell stories or to present the several possible versions to describe the same occurrence, which comprise what can be deemed as being the game of the stories: the basic narrative strategy used in the novel. The quotations and the dialogue of the piece studied are also investigated with a focus on aspects that comprise some of the previous novels by Teolinda which can also reinforce the need to establish a relevant writing project that aims at associating the general authors romanesque production.

The purpose of this study was to research one specific approach to developing and sustaining rural teacher leaders in a high-poverty area with limited resources for teachers. The study investigates The Appalachian Writing Project, a nonprofit organization serving far southwest Virginia and how the AWP has affected rural teachers in educational leadership positions and the resulting impact on educational experiences for students. The participants in this study represent a unique population, composed of certified teachers in extreme southwest Virginia who have completed the Appalachian Writing Project's Invitational Summer Institute (2001-2010) and serve as Teacher Consultants for that organization. Qualitative data were gathered through a survey, interviews, and document analysis for the purpose of identifying and analyzing the variables that lead teachers to: apply to the Appalachian Writing Project, remain active in the AWP, and ultimately become leaders within the orgaizational structure. The research results provide strong evidence to suggest that participants' pedagogical practices are positively impacted as a result of participation in the Appalachian Writing Project, and in the participants' opinion students are positively impacted in terms of student achievement. The study also reveals that Teacher Consultants continue to conduct research in their classrooms after the summer institute and that Teacher Consultants have accepted both formal and informal leadership positions as a result of their inquiry. Finally, the results of the study revealed that the Appalachian Writing Project sustains and supports Teacher Consultants in their leadership positions. Resulting recommendations include encouraging school divisions to consider the Appalachian Writing Project's research findings and contract with the AWP for professional development. Also, school administrators might want to encourage and fund lead teachers who wish to apply to the Appalachian Writing Project's Invitational Summer Institute. Finally, school administrators whose schools include AWP Teacher Consultants might want to continue to support, encourage and fund them within the site and school division. While the study suggests a definite link between teacher participation in the Appalachian Writing Project and student achievement, more research could provide statistical data to link participation in the AWP to improved student achievement.

The Central Utah Writing Project (CUWP) was created in 2009 and, following the National Writing Project's model of professional development, has held a 3- or 4-week summer institute each subsequent year. This training includes collaborative, constructivist, teacher-led training to improve the teaching of writing in schools. Multiple qualitative and quantitative studies have shown the effectiveness of this professional development in the language arts classroom. This multiple-case study of four secondary teachers, whose individual content areas lie outside English or language arts (math, music, science, and social studies), used data from interviews, observations, and artifacts to provide a description of each case and how each teacher has personally and professionally incorporated the training gained from the CUWP. The study also synthesized common themes across the cases. These themes, necessary for professional development included a participant's personal interpretation of the experience (phenomenon) construction of one's own learning, active learning/ participation in the professional development, the inclusion of authentic tasks, collaborative support community, inclusion of prior knowledge and/or experience, self-efficacy regarding one's own writing and the teaching of writing, motivation as a teacher, motivation as a student, scaffolded modeling, teacher expertise in professional development, and the use of writing in the content area. In short, the study investigates how the CUWP summer institute influences the attitudes and classroom writing practices of teachers whose primary content area is not English or language arts. Results showed that only one of the case studies changed their attitudes about writing from neutral to positive. The other three already possessed positive attitudes toward the use of and the teaching of writing in their own classrooms. All four participants changed their classroom practices as a result of participating in the CUWP summer institute and also deemed the results on student performance beneficial. Each of the four constructed a separate takeaway that they implemented in their respective classrooms.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe and explain teachers' perceptions about effective professional development as well as to identify the environmental factors that affect the teacher participants' ability to engage in and implement various behaviors and beliefs transferred from the professional development experience. Four teachers were studied in depth for one school year, and data collected included in-depth interviews and classroom observations. Findings indicate three main themes related to the research questions, which sought to understand how teachers perceive and describe their experiences of participating in professional development and the factors that support or constrain their instructional decision-making as it relates to new knowledge and skills acquired through professional development. These themes are that: (a) Effective professional development must have a supportive context and meaningful purpose which: meets the physical and cognitive needs of participants; focuses on improving practice, content knowledge, and pedagogy; provides participants with choice, adequate time and ownership of learning experiences; and includes opportunities for sustained learning and accountability; (b) Learning experiences are greatly affected by interpersonal relationships and opportunities for social learning and should be built upon the principles of: taking risks in the learning environment; sharing beliefs in a community of practice with effective support structures; involving all members, including the leaders, in the community of practice; and including opportunities for dialogue and the sharing of best practices as tools for learning, and (c) Implementation efforts are influenced by multiple sources, including: collegial and administrator support; curriculum and standardized testing; and time. Effective professional development must include attention to assisting teachers in dealing with these influences when they become barriers to implementation efforts.

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The National Writing Project (NWP) conducts four and five-week professional development summer workshops that K-16 expert teachers consistently praise as transformative. The central question posed in this dissertation focuses on whether the NWP workshop, based on a teachers-teaching-teachers design, could also serve as an effective professional development vehicle for transforming and preparing graduate student instructors (GSIs) to teach first-year composition. This question arises out of the need for knowledge-building graduate student preparation programs that keep pace with the increased demands of the first-year composition course and of the first-year composition students. Methods used to explore the feasibility of the NWP to prepare GSIs involve an analytic autoethnography and two survey research instruments. In the autoethnography, the researcher views the various processes experienced throughout the NWP workshop through the twin lenses of Transformation Learning (TL) theory and constructivist learning pedagogy. In the survey research, the researcher investigates the GSI participants' and local site directors' perceptions concerning the value and benefits of the NWP workshop to prepare GSIs for teaching writing. The researcher's analytic autoethnography reveals the transformative effects of the NWP experience on the teacher-frames of the researcher and of those peers attending the same NWP institute, while the surveys of the GSI participants and the local site directors reveal similarly positive effects of NWP pedagogy for preparing GSI for teaching writing. Based on these findings, combined with foundational support from the NWP meta-analysis of student writing outcomes of NWP participating teachers generated by the Local Sites Research Initiatives (LSRI), along with the independent Inverness Associates' studies focusing on the perceptions of teachers involved in the NWP's New-Teacher Initiative (NTI), the researcher recommends a pilot project involving a NWP designed pre-semester workshop for graduate student instructors prior to teaching first-year composition.