This qualitative action research project examined the experiences of high school students in a technology education course as they were taught accepted technology education standards in conjunction with storytelling principles through writing and producing their own short films. The data from the project demonstrate that incorporating the principles of storytelling into technology education can be effective in helping students not only become skilled with the tools of technology, but also become media literate and articulate in creative expression.

This study focused on the University of Wisconsin Stout's (UW Stout) implementation of the Malcolm Baldridge Award (MBNQA) Criteria for Educational Performance Excellence. The study had two objectives: (1) to determine administrator, faculty, and staff/support staff perceptions and compare those perceptions; and, (2) to identify the positive and negative views each of the three groups held regarding the implementation process. The study design was a mixed method approach which used both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Administrators, faculty, and staff/support staff at UW Stout were randomly selected to participate in the study. The instrument used to gather information contained 26 quantitative, two qualitative, and three demographic questions. Qualitative data were analyzed using analysis of variance with an alpha level established at .05. Results revealed significant differences in participants' perceptions for four of the seven MBNQA categories. Tukey Post-Hoc tests were performed for each of the significant categories. Post-Hoc tests for all four categories indicated that administrative participants had significantly more positive perceptions of MBNQA education criteria implementation than faculty or staff/support staff. A content analysis of the qualitative data revealed five positive themes: (1) Recognition as a Center of Excellence, (2) Pride in Affiliation, (3) Positive Exposure/Marketing Opportunities, (4) Conduit for Continuous Improvement, and (5) Increased Communication. Analysis also revealed nine common negative themes: (1) Perceived Opportunity Costs, (2) Education/Training Needs. (3) A Lack of Continuous Improvement, (4) Increased Workload, (5) Disconnect Between the Award and the University Mission, (6) Campus Climate, (7) Increased Quality Expectations, (8) Decisions Being Made Without Following the Baldridge Model, and (9) Insufficient Employee Recognition. Study findings may provide insight regarding employees' differing views of quality implementation at the university level. Results of this investigation may be useful to quality consultants who assist others in the establishment of institutional quality initiatives as well as higher education administrators who are considering MBNQA criteria implementation at their own institutions. / Ph. D.

Research indicates that positive attitudes toward information and communication technology, coupled with a high perceived level of self-efficacy, greatly assist teachers as they strive to integrate technology into their curricula. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to investigate the attitudes and perceived levels of self-efficacy as they pertain to information and communication technology (ICT) of career and technical educators at high schools in Mississippi in an effort to better understand one part of the fabric that makes up the educational mosaic in Mississippi. Participants for this study included career and technical educators teaching in one of three disciplines: 1) Agriculture, 2) Allied Health, or 3) Business and Technology. The instrument used for this study was the Information and Communication Technology Attitude and Self-Efficacy Survey (ICTASES). The researcher collected information pertaining to the educators’ attitudes and self-efficacy toward formation and communication technology, as well as participant demographics. The results of the study indicated that the attitudes of Mississippi career and technical educators toward ICT were positive, while their perceived levels self-efficacy toward ICT was high. The educators in each of the three disciplines demonstrated positive attitudes and high perceived levels of self-efficacy toward ICT despite significant differences between the disciplines. Business and Technology educators demonstrated attitudes and perceived levels of self-efficacy toward ICT that were significantly more positive, and higher, respectively, than those educators teaching Agriculture or Allied Health. Additionally, the study found that that the more advanced a degree the educator held, the greater the likelihood that he/she exhibited a more positive attitude and a greater level of perceived self-efficacy toward ICT. Those educators possessing a bachelor or master’s degree possessed attitudes and perceived levels of self-efficacy toward ICT that were significantly more than those educators possessing an associate’s degree. Finally, the attitudes of the educators toward ICT were found to be positively correlated with the educators’ perceived self-efficacy toward ICT. This result indicates that as the level of self-efficacy of the career and technical educators increases so does the likelihood that the positivity of their attitude will increase.

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As contemporary federal education legislation requires schools to ensure that all students are prepared for college and careers upon graduation, the college and career readiness of ELs is an urgent matter requiring investigation. Within this policy context, career and technical education (CTE) has been presented as a potential pathway for ELs to achieve college and career readiness. This necessitates research examining ELs’ opportunities to participate in CTE programs as an alternative to traditional secondary schools. Thus, the purpose of this dissertation is (a) to examine the processes required to access CTE programs and the barriers ELs face when attempting to enroll in CTE, (b) to understand how institutional culture and the distribution of resources support ELs and instructors with ELs in their courses, and (c) to investigate ELs’ classroom experiences and opportunities to learn, as understood by the students, teachers, and administrators in a school dedicated to CTE programming. Drawing on ethnographic methodology, data were collected through fieldwork and classroom observations documented as fieldnotes; 36 in-depth interviews with teachers, administrators, ELs and former ELs; artifacts from classrooms; policy documents; student academic records; and state-level data from the Department of Education. The data analysis demonstrated that, overall, ELs did not experience equitable access to educational experiences leading to college and career readiness. First, ELs’ access to CTE programs that aligned with their career aspirations was restricted; administrators and counselors justified this practice through discourses of meritocracy and deficit framing of ELs. Second, despite the fact that ELs and instructors complained about the lack of support and resources, administrators drew upon race- and language-neutral ideologies to rationalize their failure to invest in programs and practices that would ensure equitable access and success for ELs. Finally, within this context of limited support, instructors expressed deficit views of ELs and relied on pedagogies that did not accommodate the linguistic needs of ELs. As a result, ELs believed that they did not receive adequate support, and many felt unprepared for college and careers. Interpreting these data from a critical race theory perspective, these findings suggest that CTE functions as a White educational space, operating under tacit White supremacist ideologies to justify inequitable treatment of ELs and privilege the cultural and linguistic practices of White students. This undermines CTE’s potential in providing equitable access to college and career readiness for ELs. / Teaching & Learning

This qualitative case study is designed to document the impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) on career and technical education (CTE) in Pennsylvania. The research was conducted utilizing a qualitative case study protocol on two specific CTE Centers in the suburban Philadelphia area. The study centered on the following question. Has compliance to the accountability components of NCLB impacted the delivery of secondary education in CTE centers in the Pennsylvania? The study identified the changes that have occurred to selected CTE centers in the NCLB era. The assessment mandates of federal policy NCLB are narrowly focused in academic curriculum. The data used to answer the questions was accumulated through interviews with facility staff and the examination of archival records at the two specific centers to be researched. This study determined the impacts of NCLB on the facilities. The impacts included; decreased enrollment, increased academic and testing focus, reduction in technical budgets, increase in academic budgets, increase of special education students, staff changes for the increase of academic areas, morale issues, program changes, shifts in staff development, facility changes, negative publicity and public image due to academic reporting in the media. Questions for future study. What are the costs, financial and opportunity related to the reduction in CTE for increased academics? How many students have been denied the opportunity of attending or completing CTE programs? Why there isn't an alignment of NCLB and IDEA goals? What is the emotional impact to our students who keep getting told they are below basic? The conclusion from this study suggests that the public education system in this country needs to be more centered on actual student outcomes and preparing students with marketable skills and not based on the narrow focus of academic test scores. / Educational Leadership

The intent of this two-phase, sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to examine the role teachers' beliefs play when making instructional decisions. The population included in-service teachers representing four Career and Technical Education disciplines located within the commonwealth of Virginia. Using a stratified random sample, 622 teachers were selected for the quantitative strand, and employing a system of four contacts, quantitative data were collected from 292 participants. Dweck's Theories of Intelligence scale assessed the nature of in-service teachers' beliefs about intelligence, and the Epistemic Belief Inventory was used to measure their epistemological beliefs. Finally, the participants rated their use of teacher-centered and student-centered teaching methods. In the second phase, qualitative data were collected from nine participants to further understand how in-service teachers' beliefs are related to the teaching practices they use. The quantitative and qualitative data were combined to determine if the descriptions of teaching method used, beliefs about intelligence, and epistemological beliefs aligned with the outcomes of the quantitative questionnaire. Significant correlations existed between the Theories of Intelligence scale and the Epistemic Belief Inventory. A significant positive relationship existed between the Epistemic Beliefs Inventory and the overall teaching practices score, indicating in-service teachers' advanced epistemological beliefs are related to the use of student-centered teaching practices. A regression analysis indicated that teaching discipline, epistemological beliefs, teaching experience, and highest level of education completed predicted the teaching practices in-service teachers' select. The qualitative data supported the claim that beliefs about intelligence and epistemological beliefs influence teaching practices. Six themes emerged from the qualitative data, and the themes were used as a framework for organizing the findings. The researcher acknowledges that teachers possess a variety of beliefs, and those beliefs influence how teachers teach. The researcher recommends that teacher educators attempt to identify the beliefs pre-service teachers hold, and if modifications of beliefs are needed, facilitate interventions to modify those beliefs. While some have labeled the direct relationship between teacher beliefs and teaching practices as "messy", the evidence indicates the two, are in fact, related. / Ph. D.