While classroom teachers report alarming rates of unpreparedness, and even unwillingness to include diverse populations in the classroom, our nation is continuing along a trend started in the 1990s to include students with disabilities (SWD) in general education settings. This quasi-experimental research study uncovered the impact of completing the required continuing education course in teaching SWD course mandated by Florida Senate Bill 1108 ([SB1108]; The Florida Senate, 2013b), which amended Florida Statute 1012.585 (3) (e) (Process for Renewal of Professional Certificates, 2017) on perceived teacher ability to implement inclusion practices. An online version of the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices (TEIP) scale developed by Sharma, Loreman, and Forlin (2012) was utilized, along with demographic and experiential factors for classroom teachers in the study district to examine their self-efficacy toward inclusion. Analysis of the data indicated statistically significant differences in mean TEIP scale scores for exceptional student education (ESE) and general education teachers. Data analyses revealed that almost half of the teachers had a negative view of and did not perceive any benefit from the course. While ESE and general education teachers had similar preparation needs, they also reported areas of concern specific to their subset. Overall, the course did not provide enough continuing education in the areas most needed by the participants. SB1108-mandated course completion was also not found to be an indicator of higher teacher self-efficacy for the majority of teachers. Analysis of the differences in TEIP scale scores found that only elementary school teachers benefited from completing the course, while it had the opposite effect for general education high school teachers and no significant effect for ESE teachers. Differences in TEIP scale scores from demographic and experiential factors accounted for 13% of the variance in the population and was not significant for the ESE teacher subset. One percent or less of the variance was attributed to completion of the required continuing education course. Implications include reviewing the legislation’s effectiveness for teachers in different areas and grade levels, hiring and evaluation decisions based on TEIP scale scores of applicants and employees, and designing more meaningful continuing education courses. Recommendations for state legislatures, school administrators, designers of continuing education courses, and for future research regarding improvement of teacher self-efficacy for inclusive practices are offered. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

It is commonly observed that elementary and secondary teachers often work in isolation and that providing opportunities for teachers to work together helps improve student outcomes. But it can be difficult to find time for teacher collaboration, whether in professional learning communities, grade-level teams, or other collaborative groups. Given the extensive role of collective bargaining agreements in governing teachers’ hours and working conditions, this study explores the role of collective bargaining in creating time for teacher collaboration. Using legal and content analyses, the study examines scope-of-bargaining statutes in each state to determine the extent to which district and union leaders are required to bargain over teacher time. It also uses the content-analysis methodology to review how collective bargaining agreements from thirty-one of the nation’s largest school districts restrict or promote teacher time for collaboration. The study concludes that collective bargaining plays a considerable role in teacher collaboration time. Not only do most states have statutes that require stakeholders to bargain to create opportunities for collaboration time, the resulting collective bargaining agreements directly and indirectly affect time for collaboration. These findings establish that in almost all states where collective bargaining is required, school officials and teachers cannot advance teacher collaboration without the assistance of collective bargaining. Moreover, success in creating collaboration time depends largely on how the collective bargaining agreements restrict or promote that time. In light of these findings, the study recommends that local leaders and state policymakers take steps to promote teacher collaboration through collective bargaining by (1) prioritizing and reducing teacher workload; (2) removing teacher duty-hour limits; (3) expanding noninstructional time, including through additional teacher-collaboration set-asides; and (4) involving school leadership in determining how noninstructional time is used.

This dissertation investigates the adaptation of a research-based professional development approach, Innovating Instruction, for special education teachers. This adapted approach uses assistive technology (AT) as a catalyst for helping teachers acquire design skills needed to include more inquiry-based practices. The adapted approach introduces effective teaching practices based on the learning sciences and demonstrates multiple ways to use AT to meet the needs of students. To address the “unexamined link between the use of design practices and the introduction of technology within a learning science framework,” (Meier, 2018, p.142), the Innovating Instruction© professional development framework (2018) at the Center for Technology and School Change provides a three-part approach to implement these changes: design, situate, lead. Two recent National Science Foundation grants have established the model’s positive impact on teachers’ ability to design projects, to shift from disciplinary to transdisciplinary project design, and to shift instructional thinking to include inquiry-based approaches. This dissertation responds to an important challenge in special education: the limited opportunities to prepare special education teachers to provide high-quality instruction to support all students. It uses technology as a catalyst to help special education teachers learn about design practices that engage students in inquiry practices that are culturally relevant and build on student strengths. The intervention introduced teachers to inquiry-driven design practices and used technology that supported new ways of understanding the capacity of special needs students through a six-month professional development program. The research design used was a convergent parallel mixed methods approach to analyze both qualitative and qualitative data to capture how special education teachers used AT to design inquiry-based learning. The analysis revealed a statistically significant shift over the period of the professional development, implementation, and reflection phases in terms of teachers’ ability to design inquiry-based projects that integrated AT. Also, the findings showed the importance of “situating” teachers’ needs, encouraging collaborative learning with colleagues, and developing a shared knowledge base of inquiry-based teaching strategies in special education classrooms. Findings from teacher questionnaires and interviews showed emerging leadership activities: teachers took more initiative to design projects and collaborate with other teachers in the school community.

This qualitative research seeks to understand the experiences of rural English instructional coaches in Sarawak, Malaysia through culturally relevant pedagogy and the three-dimensional narrative inquiry framework. Sarawak, the largest Malaysian state, is home to 27 main ethnic indigenous groups and over 40 ethnic subgroups, most of which reside in rural areas. Yet, conversations and research around race and culture in Malaysian educational spaces are limited and focus mostly on dominant ethnic groups while sidelining ethnic indigenous groups (Embong, 2018). Using narrative case study, this research adds to the racial discourse in Malaysian education by first exploring the complexities and subtleties that shape coaches’ experiences within rural Sarawak. It seeks to answer the following research questions: (1) In the context of a multicultural rural setting, how do instructional coaches narrate their experiences of supporting rural English teachers? (2) What can we learn from the narratives of instructional coaches regarding their roles and responsibilities of coaching English teachers in a multicultural rural setting? (3) What changes or adjustments need to be made in the preparation and professional development of coaches in a multicultural setting? Three instructional coaches were involved in 60 to 75-minute open-ended interviews as well as classroom and field observations over 3 months. Findings suggest the following themes: (a) making “ruralness” work, (b) the coaches’ perceived understanding of “culture”, and (c) missing pieces in the preparation and support of coaches. The findings highlight the importance of understanding how the nuanced experiences of coaches are shaped by their past and present, interactions, and the rural context. The in-depth and context-specific information has important implications for stakeholders and policymakers in reforming the preparation and support of instructional coaches toward being culturally relevant.

This multiple-bounded case study explored charter-school music teacher practitioners’(MTPs’) and instructional leaders’ (ILs’) perceptions of professional development (PD) in four charter management organizations (CMOs). The purpose was to provide a rich description of these practitioners’ professional development, with the goal of spurring policy conversations and further research on music teachers and their experiences in the charter domain. Over two months in the fall of 2023, the researcher conducted one-on-one interviews with eight participants, which focused on ways of making change, methods of delivery, beneficial components of the methods of supporting music literacy, and forms of PD assessment from the perspectives of MTPs and ILs. In addition to holding two focus groups (one with each case), the researcher conducted four classroom and debrief observations. The interviews and observations were analyzed using the participants’ words as first-cycle analysis themes; these were then filtered through the study’s conceptual framework of Desimone’s (2009) core elements of effective professional development: content focus, active learning, coherence, sustained duration, and collective participation. The findings illustrate the participants’ experience with the professional development phenomenon through a series of main themes: instruction is classroom management, except PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN CHARTER SCHOOLS when it is not, (b) the many moods of instructional coaching and workshops, (c) content expertise via cycles of inquiry, and (d) reflection is essential. Implications include framing future empirical research in this usually guarded sector as a partnership to identify best and emergent practices for practitioners that directly affect students and families. Framing research in this manner may resonate with charter management organizations that adhere to more formative professional development practices. Additionally, cycles of inquiry in which self-reflection can occur may be a way forward for myriad non-content-expert instructional leaders who support the professional development of music teacher practitioners in charter schools or traditional public schools. Further suggestions for future practice include hosting charter-specific sessions at music education conferences, which could be framed as dialogic sessions to foster collegial inquiry concerning practices at both charter and public schools. Because CMOs’ system structures are different, practitioners there experience some aspects of teaching and professional development differently than their traditional public counterparts. Offering sessions specifically tailored to charter practitioners’ needs could help ensure that their needs, as well as those of the ILs that support them, are met. Keywords: Professional Development, Charter Schools, In-Service Music Teacher Practitioners, Instructional Leaders, Instructional Coaching, Mentors, Workshops.

"FORMAÇÃO DO PROFESSOR E O ENSINO DE HISTÓRIA: Espaços e Dimensoes de Práticas Educativas" tem como objetivo central acompanhar a trajetória formativa do profissional do ensino de História. Entendendo que a formação do profissional ocorre em diversos espaços e dimensões da vida do sujeito em questão, a pesquisa buscou acompanhar esses diferentes aspectos. Dessa forma, debruçou um olhar sobre cursos universitários de História (FAFICH/UFMG; PUC Minas; UNICENTRO Newton Paiva e UNI-BH) e alguns espaços de formação continuada tais como cursos de pós-graduação em Educação (especialização, mestrado, doutorado) e atividades oferecidas pelos Centros de Formação das Secretarias Municipal e Estadual de Educação (CAPE e CERP, respectivamente). Além de levantamento bibliográfico e documentação institucional (histórico, projetos curriculares; publicações; regime de trabalho e titulação do corpo docente; programações; sistema de avaliação) foram fontes as entrevistas com coordenadores, professores e ex-alunos dos cursos, assim como a análise de questionários aplicados a alunos no início e término dos cursos de História. O recorte espacial para tal pesquisa foi a cidade de Belo Horizonte e o recorte temporal privilegiado o período compreendido desde os anos 80 do século passado até os dias de hoje. / The main purpose of Teacher's education and the teaching of history: spaces and dimensions of educational practices is to investigate the educational experience of student teachers of history. Assuming that professional education accurs in many diferent spaces and dimensions of a person's life, this research attempted to understand these different aspects. Thus, it focused on graduation courses of history (FAFICH/UFMG; PUC Minas; UNICENTRO Newton Paiva e UNI-BH) and some spaces of continuing professional education such as post-graduation courses in education (specialization, master’s degree and doctor's degree) and activities offered by Professional Development Centers of local and state Departments of Education (CAPE and CERP, respectively). Besides bibliographical and institutional documentation survey (historical, curricular projects, publications, work regulation, teachers' titles, programs, evaluation system), interviews with coordinators, professors and former pupils have been used as sources of data, as well as analysis of questionnaires applied to students who are beginning and ending their history courses. This research took place in Belo Horizonte and the period of time considered extends from the 80's up to the present.

"FORMAÇÃO DO PROFESSOR E O ENSINO DE HISTÓRIA: Espaços e Dimensoes de Práticas Educativas" tem como objetivo central acompanhar a trajetória formativa do profissional do ensino de História. Entendendo que a formação do profissional ocorre em diversos espaços e dimensões da vida do sujeito em questão, a pesquisa buscou acompanhar esses diferentes aspectos. Dessa forma, debruçou um olhar sobre cursos universitários de História (FAFICH/UFMG; PUC Minas; UNICENTRO Newton Paiva e UNI-BH) e alguns espaços de formação continuada tais como cursos de pós-graduação em Educação (especialização, mestrado, doutorado) e atividades oferecidas pelos Centros de Formação das Secretarias Municipal e Estadual de Educação (CAPE e CERP, respectivamente). Além de levantamento bibliográfico e documentação institucional (histórico, projetos curriculares; publicações; regime de trabalho e titulação do corpo docente; programações; sistema de avaliação) foram fontes as entrevistas com coordenadores, professores e ex-alunos dos cursos, assim como a análise de questionários aplicados a alunos no início e término dos cursos de História. O recorte espacial para tal pesquisa foi a cidade de Belo Horizonte e o recorte temporal privilegiado o período compreendido desde os anos 80 do século passado até os dias de hoje. / The main purpose of Teacher's education and the teaching of history: spaces and dimensions of educational practices is to investigate the educational experience of student teachers of history. Assuming that professional education accurs in many diferent spaces and dimensions of a person's life, this research attempted to understand these different aspects. Thus, it focused on graduation courses of history (FAFICH/UFMG; PUC Minas; UNICENTRO Newton Paiva e UNI-BH) and some spaces of continuing professional education such as post-graduation courses in education (specialization, master’s degree and doctor's degree) and activities offered by Professional Development Centers of local and state Departments of Education (CAPE and CERP, respectively). Besides bibliographical and institutional documentation survey (historical, curricular projects, publications, work regulation, teachers' titles, programs, evaluation system), interviews with coordinators, professors and former pupils have been used as sources of data, as well as analysis of questionnaires applied to students who are beginning and ending their history courses. This research took place in Belo Horizonte and the period of time considered extends from the 80's up to the present.

abstract: In this study, the Arizona State University Mathematics and Science Teaching Fellows 2010 program was analyzed qualitatively from start to finish to determine the impact of the research experience on teachers in the classroom. The sample for the study was the 2010 cohort of eight high school science teachers. Erickson's (1986) interpretive, participant observational fieldwork method was used to report data by means of detailed descriptions of the research experience and classroom implementation. Data was collected from teacher documents, interviews, and observations. The findings revealed various factors that were responsible for an ineffective implementation of the research experience in the classroom such as research experience, curriculum support, availability of resources, and school curriculum. Implications and recommendations for future programs are discussed in the study. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2012

L’apprentissage des Langues Étrangères a pris une place indispensable dans l’éducation. Avec la mondialisation, différents pays, notamment en Europe et en Amérique, sont contraints de mettre en place des programmes éducatifs pour le développement des compétences communicatives des citoyens dans le but de s’insérer dans l’économie globale. En Colombie, le contexte auquel s’intéresse notre étude, le gouvernement cherche à renforcer l’apprentissage de l’anglais LE. Dans ce but, le Plan National de Bilinguisme (PNB) a été instauré et a entraîné la conception d’objectifs qui ne peuvent être atteints qu’avec de profonds changements dans la pratique professionnelle des enseignants, des acteurs éducatifs et dans l’organisation des établissements scolaires. La présente thèse porte sur les enjeux de cette politique linguistique par rapport au développement professionnel des enseignants d’anglais et à la réalité des contextes éducatifs. Elle porte aussi sur l’impact de l’adoption du Cadre Européen Commun de Référence pour les langues (CECR) comme document de base du PNB. Notre étude, qui s’inscrit dans le domaine de la recherche exploratoire, vise à décrire et comprendre le processus de mise en place du PNB et de l’adhésion du CECR. Nous avons procédé à l’application de différents outils pour le recueil de données – à savoir, l’analyse documentaire, l’entretien semidirectif / compréhensif et le questionnaire – auprès de 13 responsables du développement professionnel et 36 enseignants d’anglais, surtout des régions du Valle del Cauca (ouest) et Cundinamarca (centre). Les données recueillies sont analysées et discutées en vue d’apporter des informations sur la mise en place de la réforme, sur les points de vue des acteurs impliqués, les difficultés rencontrées, et sur le rapport objectives théoriques et réalités d’application. Les résultats obtenus rendent compte de la complexité de mettre en œuvre une politique linguistique cherchant à standardiser les processus d’enseignement-apprentissage des langues étrangères dans un contexte tel que le colombien. Ils nous fournissent des pistes de réflexion sur les besoins urgents de formations, de pratiques réflexives et d’un empowerment chez les enseignants. / Learning Foreign Languages has taken a prominent position in the education field. With globalization, countries, mostly in Europe and America are required to set up educational programs for the development of communicative skills of citizens, to have a place into the global economy. In Colombia, the context in which our study was conducted, the government seeks to reinforce the learning of English FL. To this end, the National Bilingual Program (NBP) established and led the design of objectives that can only be achieved with reflective changes in the professional practice of teachers, the organization of the educational stakeholders and schools. The framework or our research is focused on the stakes of the language policy in relation to professional development of English teachers and the reality of educational contexts. It also looks at the impact of the adoption of the European Framework of Reference for Languages (EFRL) as the basic document of NBP. Our study, is part of an exploratory research, that attempts to describe and understand the implementation process of the NPB and the accession to the CEFR. We proceeded by applying a variety of data collection tools -namely, document analysis, semi-structured/comprehensive interview and questionnaire- with 13 teacher trainers and directors of professional development programs. and 36 English teachers, especially from the regions of Valle del Cauca (west) and Cundinamarca (center). The collected data are analyzed and discussed to provide information on the implementation of the reform, on the views of stakeholders involved, the difficulties encountered and the relation of theoretical objectives and school settings. The outcomes reflect the complexity of implementing a language policy seeking to standardize the process of teaching and learning of foreign languages in a context such as Colombia. This results provide valuable insights on the urgent professional development needs, reflective practices and the empowerment of teachers.

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