Collaborative data-driven decision making| A qualitative study of the lived experiences of primary grade classroom teachers

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: A, page: . Adviser: Renee Clift. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 197-210) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

<p> Puerto Rican English teachers are included in a difficult recruitment category because a shortage amount of them reached a university degree in this area every year. The primary purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to explore how Elementary English teachers perceived their first experience as professional versus the knowledge they acquired in their bachelor's degree. Likewise, this study tried to identify those college courses that made easier their first experience of teaching at the Department of Education of Puerto Rico and how the universities reduce the dilemma of transition between the theory and practice in these professionals. Five new English teachers recruited in Puerto Rico's public schools with an experience of less than three years in this area participated in this research. Data were collected through two independent semi structured interviews, a review of documents related to school and universities, and the investigator field notes. Analysis of the data suggested that both, Puerto Rico's universities and the Department of Education need to keep up the most effective communication in order to bring these professionals the skills and knowledge they need to master as Elementary English teachers in public schools in Puerto Rico as well as they feel reliable during their transition between formal studies and job experience, and decide to keep their profession.</p>

<p> Technology is increasingly present in American homes and offices and in nearly every form of American entertainment. As a result, U.S. society has become dependent on technology. Most Americans' daily routine consists of frequent interactions with electronic gadgets, interfaces, and computers in order to purchase goods online, meet people, and work. Therefore, to some extent, U.S. schools should mimic the current social environment by using technology as an educational tool. The global environment demands that students have 21st-century technology skills. Today's students learn using different modalities that require various accommodations in the classroom setting. Teachers play a pivotal role in fully preparing and engaging students. Thus, it is important to identify what factors influence teachers' decision to integrate current technology educational tools in the classroom. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to determine the strength of the relationships, if any, between teachers' demographics, use of current technological tools, attitudes, professional development, and rate and stage of technology adoption/integration. A survey instrument created by Buckenmeyer was modified and updated to reflect the technologies used in the classroom. Five elementary urban public schools and 133 teachers in Newark, New Jersey, participated in the study. Their responses were used to determine the relationships between various factors and the rate and stage of technology adoption/integration. </p><p> Significant correlations were found between technology adoption/integration and each of the categories&mdash; especially teachers' beliefs and attitudes and professional/staff development. Various items in each category were found to be significantly correlated with technology adoption/integration, including teachers' belief that they are better teachers with technology and addressing students' learning styles. Additionally, mean scores showed strong agreement with the desire to participate in professional/staff development workshops on how to integrate current technology educational tools into the instruction, especially into the new English language arts and math curricula in Newark Public Schools. </p><p> Based on the strength and significance of the correlations and mean scores, there were three recommendations for stakeholders regarding the factors that influence teachers' decision to integrate current technology educational tools into the classroom: (a) improve teachers' belief in and attitudes toward the use of current technology educational tools; (b) provide continuous, technology-infused professional development opportunities that align with the current literacy and math curricula; and (c) provide current technology educational tools such as hardware, learning software, and Web 2.0.</p>

<p> This instrumental, collective, targeted case study explores decisions elementary preservice teachers make with respect to culturally responsive teaching through the lens of dialogic teaching. Most candidates currently enrolled in elementary teacher education programs in the United States are young, white, and female. Meanwhile, the population of students in U.S. schools grows increasingly diverse, leading to a widening cultural gap between teachers and many of their students. Many preservice teachers opt not to use culturally responsive instructional strategies, particularly those related to communication, also known as dialogic teaching practices, despite research indicating such practices foster improved academic achievement for all students-but especially for students of color who are typically underserved in U.S. schools. Who the preservice teachers are when they enter teacher education programs, their experiences inside and outside of school, plus factors as broad as the context of schooling in the United States to as narrow as the impact of one particular student in a classroom, influence the choices a preservice teacher makes when faced with a lesson to teach, a room full of young children, and a ticking clock. Explicating decisions made by preservice teachers through direct classroom observations, followed by one-on-one interviews, provides a glimpse into factors promoting or inhibiting participants' use of dialogic teaching strategies. This study is part of the larger effort to support student discourse and teacher preparation through the use of one component of culturally responsive instruction as viewed through the lens of dialogic teaching, thus addressing the need to better serve all children in our nation's schools. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to explore the linguistic architecture of instructional language used during first grade read aloud lessons. The participants were from the CTL Year-3 Read Aloud study. The study&rsquo;s random assignment created 20 teachers in the treatment group and 19 teachers in the control group. My study investigated the variability of their teacher&rsquo;s use of instructional language during direct instruction read aloud lessons. Specifically, I analyzed the following linguistic attributes: (a) clausal density, (b) number of different words, (c) words per minute, (d) percentage of maze words, and (e) number of abandoned utterances. Exploratory associations for these variables were compared against the Quality Classroom Instruction protocol (QCI), a measure of teaching effectiveness. The results of my study yielded null effects due study limitations. However, the explored area addressed a blind-spot within the literature and provided preliminary data, insight, and recommendations pertaining to the linguistic attributes of instructional language used by first grade teachers during read aloud lessons. </p><p>

<p> In an ever-changing labyrinth of standards, accountability, and standardized testing, educators seek ways to improve instruction. Teachers need learning experiences that help them navigate an environment in which a growing list of student performance standards and standardized tests determine their success in teacher evaluations (Crawford, 2015; Terehoff, 2002). In this same pursuit, many administrators are challenged in their efforts to provide meaningful professional development to support teachers (Terehoff, 2002). The goal of this study is to gain insight into which TPD delivery types and which levels of student presence create the most meaningful and applicable learning for educators and to provide insight and guidance to administrators and TPD planners who are seeking ways to provide quality TPD. </p><p> The study data was gathered through qualitative methods, including participant observation, surveys, interviews, and focus groups. The data was exlored through the SPLT model. The major findings of the study suggest that higher model levels&mdash;which included student physical presence&mdash;led to an increased application of teacher-learning in the classroom and an increased confidence in attempting to apply newly learned techniques and tools. Teachers also suggested that these in-classroom session were more valuable when a pre- or post-discussion accompanied the session. The results demonstrated that learning at all model levels had value for different intended learning purposes. They also suggested that the TPD learning could be more effective when lower model level sessions are followed up with higher-level SPLT model sessions that occur in the classroom during instructional time with students physically present.</p><p>

<p> This study analyzed the results of undergraduate and graduate teacher candidate scores on the Elementary Missouri Content Assessment at a private Midwestern University. The intent was to examine the possibility of a difference between pre-service teachers who satisfied coursework requirements through an undergraduate program or through a graduate program. This study focused on the content knowledge domain of teacher knowledge that had been the focus of teacher competency studies since Lee Shulman&rsquo;s research in 1986. This study used pre-service teacher Missouri Content Assessment scores, subtest scores, number of attempts to earn a passing score, number of years since a college math or science class was taken, cumulative grade point average, and grade point average in each content area in order to determine if any correlation existed between academic performance and performance on the Elementary Missouri Content Assessment. </p><p> The researcher anticipated that pre-service teachers with higher GPA would receive higher scores on the Missouri Content Assessment. The 12 hypotheses in this study tested the relationship of both undergraduate and graduate pre-service teacher academic performance and performance on the Missouri Content Assessment. The site of the study was a medium-sized Private Midwestern University. A random sample of 50 undergraduate and 35 graduate pre-service teachers were selected from a total population of 205 graduates, which included 169 undergraduate candidates and 36 graduate candidates. The study was quantitative utilizing the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient and a <i>z</i>-test for difference in means. The analysis of the 12 hypotheses revealed no statistically significant correlation between academic performance and the Missouri Content Assessment scores. The lack of a significant correlation suggests that further studies are conducted to determine what factors could be indicators that both the Researched University and future pre-service teachers enrolled at the Researched University use as predictors of readiness and success on the MoCA. Because the MoCA assessment has a limited implementation of four years, it may be beneficial to examine what changes the research university has made in course and program design to meet the requirements and then examine the MoCA scores after the changes.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate the selection and use of picture books about issues of race by an early elementary school teacher, and to critically examine the content of selected picture books about race. The research questions were: How does a self-identifying anti-racist transitional kindergarten teacher in a public elementary school select and utilize children&rsquo;s picture books to address issues of race with their students? What are the underlying messages about race in the books? The case study utilized Seidman&rsquo;s (2013) three-interview series and critical content analysis was used to analyze ten selected picture books. The case study findings revealed that the personal identity and experiences of the participant and her relationship with her students and their families shape her professional race-related goals. Further findings demonstrated that the participant uses picture books to teach about race for a variety of reasons, including that they make race, an abstract concept, concrete for her students. The critical content analysis revealed that the race and experiences of the author or illustrator informed the content and underlying messages in the books. The results of this study add new dimensions to the field&rsquo;s understanding of what factors inform a teacher&rsquo;s selection and use of picture books about race, and what themes are common in children&rsquo;s picture books that address the topic of race. Additionally, this study demonstrates the need for books written and illustrated by people of color in order to provide young children with more authentic representations of the lives and experiences of racially and culturally diverse people. </p><p>

<p> <i>Professional Development Tools to Enhance the Abilities of Veteran Teachers in Pre-K Through Eighth Grades</i> examined the variety of professional development tools available to veteran educators. The quasi-experimental study allowed veteran teachers to participate in a pretest survey consisting of questions about teachers&rsquo; desire for continued professional development, learning preferences, tools and ideas, and demographic information. An intervention in the form of PowerPoint was then presented to the veteran teachers outlining the adult learning theory and a variety of professional development tools. After the intervention, a posttest was conducted and compared using an ANOVA. </p><p> The results in the study indicate that while there is not a significant difference in the pretest and posttest following the intervention, veteran teachers are interested in learning, growing, and enhancing their classroom. Veteran teachers would like to be actively involved in the planning and expansion of professional development opportunities and would like to learn from their peers in how to make their classroom more effective. Veteran teachers also feel that their peers can learn from watching them teach in the classroom and would like to use the peer coaching model and Instructional Rounds to be able to learn from their colleagues. Veteran teachers feel that tools such as observations and feedback are helpful in the classroom and would like to learn more about student engagement, instructional strategies, classroom management, differentiation techniques, Instructional Rounds, growth mindset, and subject specific programs. </p><p> The results from the teachers&rsquo; survey were given to administrators for feedback about how to use the responses to develop effective professional development opportunities in schools. The interview results from the administrators revealed that teacher observation and collaboration are optimal for teachers to grow professionally. The one-on-one interviews also resulted in the overwhelming need to include teachers in the creation of professional development opportunities. </p><p>