This study was done to investigate the types and intensity of teaching concerns preservice teachers have during their coursework and how these are connected to early field experiences (EFE). A survey was conducted comparing preservice teachers in an on-campus versus an on-site course at a local elementary school. Participants (N = 99) were asked about 26 types of concerns and these groups were compared; only one significant difference was found, that the on-campus group had more general teaching concerns than the on-site group. Fuller's (1969; 1974) research on immature versus mature teaching concerns was corroborated by the survey items and factor analyses, although no change over time was found. School-based field experiences were significantly listed by both groups as being the most useful experience in their teacher education; therefore, it is recommended that opportunities be created for preservice teachers to participate in EFEs.

Research exists about secondary school Response to Intervention (RTI) models, but little is known about the concerns of middle and high school teachers who are working together to implement RTI practices as a shared responsibility. The extensive body of documentation on RTI at the elementary level has not helped educators develop systematic RTI implementation practices across all levels (Ehren, 2013). The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether there were differences in practice concerns, if any among middle school and high school teachers' RTI practice concerns when measured by the Impact Stage of the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ). The theory of planned behavior informed the framework for this research. A Snowball Sampling strategy was used to recruit a total of 31 general education teachers from a Northeastern USA County. Data from teacher's SoCQ were analyzed using ANOVA to investigate the differences in concerns, if any between middle school teachers in Grades 6-8 and high school teachers in Grades 9-12 about RTI practices. The results indicated no differences between 6-8 and 9-12 grade teacher concerns for all questions. Findings from this research may reinforce the importance of discussions about sharing RTI practice concerns between middle and high school teachers. Such conversations may foster more collaborative teacher working relationships which may lead to better implementation of the RTI initiative across grade levels for improved student learning outcomes.

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Previous literature has exposed the impact of concerns and beliefs on a teacher's decision to adopt online teaching methods, and in particular for Graphic Communications teachers, the extent to which their concerns and beliefs influence whether or not they decide to teach online. The potential problem that may exist is that of Graphic Communications teachers' concerns and beliefs are playing a role in impeding their transitioning to teaching in the online environment. The purpose of this study was to examine how teacher concerns and beliefs might be affecting a Graphic Communications teacher's adoption of online teaching. Although there are a multitude of factors that may inhibit Graphic Communications teachers from teaching online, this study sought to document the extent to which teacher concerns and beliefs toward online teaching impact their decision to adopt these practices. This study included a purposeful sample of 79 Graphic Communications educators across the United States and Canada. Data collected from the Graphic Communications Teachers Beliefs Towards Teaching Online (GCTBTTO) survey were analyzed using the Stages of Concern scoring device, simple means, and sample correlation coefficients to examine participant concerns and beliefs towards online teaching and the relationship between their concerns and beliefs. A theme analysis of open-ended responses about teaching online provided further assessment of participant beliefs and concerns towards the innovation. Findings from this study revealed Graphic Communications teachers who had taught online had higher levels of external concerns and stronger beliefs towards teaching online. Graphic Communications teachers who had not taught online had higher levels of internal concerns and average beliefs towards teaching online. T-tests revealed the difference in concerns between the sub-groups of teachers was significant across all stages except Management, where online and non-online teachers had similar management concerns about online teaching. For online teachers, task value and cost beliefs were found to have a moderately strong negative correlation to concerns in the Awareness stage, with no significant relationship between expectancy/ability beliefs and any stages of concern. For teachers not teaching online, task value and cost beliefs had a strong positive correlation with their Collaboration concerns, and expectancy/ability beliefs were strongly positively related to their Refocusing concerns. These findings also revealed that most Graphic Communications teachers do not believe hands-on courses which require manipulation of machinery can be taught online, although online teachers are teaching these types of classes with hybrid methods of instruction. The findings from this study provide implications for change facilitators and their consideration of faculty concerns and beliefs. The recommendations for this study suggest ways in which researchers, educators, and change facilitators can address concerns and beliefs in order to develop new innovative teaching methods for hands-on classes. / Ed. D.

Since the advent of distance learning, interaction has played a crucial role in learner satisfaction and more recently the quality of learning online. Even though the crucial nature of incorporating interactive learning environments is not lost on the education community, it has been at troubling odds with meeting the expectations of learners and establishing why some proposed “interactive” activities fail. Because technology has changed, offering varying levels of interaction between learner-learner, learner-instructor, and learner-content some argue that re-conceptualizing interactive can provide unique learning advantages. This literature review explores the most vital aspects of interactivity, the variables that determine its appropriateness and significant findings as they pertain to meeting the expectations of e-learning.

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This study investigated the relationship between student ratings of teaching and the mindfulness attributes of teaching assistants in freshmen courses consisting mostly of discussion. Regression analyses were run to determine whether teaching assistant data (n = 19), related to their teaching efficacy, trait mindfulness, mindfulness practices, self-compassion, and teacher concerns, were predictive of student ratings of teaching assistants' combined scores on three concatenated Likert-scale evaluation items--the teaching assistant is kind and respectful of me, is patient with my questions, and is receptive to my questions. As modeled, there was no significant relationship between these teaching assistant characteristics and the components that were examined. A subset of the population (n = 6), participated in follow-up interviews. A comparative and interpretative analysis of the interview data followed, which examined the teaching assistant narratives using the following variables as filters--teaching efficacy, trait mindfulness, mindfulness practices, self-compassion, and teacher concerns--in addition to the metacognitive constructs of Knowledge of Cognition and Regulation of Cognition. Overall, the interview component of the study found that teaching assistants who could better articulate their teaching processes and instructional goals reported purposefully engaging in the internal and external dialogic processes of instruction. Moreover, interview analysis suggests that teaching assistant evaluations were a poor means of assessing instructional skills, aptitude, or performance. In addition, while the tools used in this study, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Mindfulness Process Questionnaire, the Self-Compassion, Scale, the Teacher's Sense of Efficacy, and the Teacher's Concerns Checklist, might reliably assess attributes of good instructors, they do not appear to capture the whole essence of one's instructional narrative. Whether it is through interviews, or intricate scenarios, instructional evaluation, especially when its purpose is to improve instruction, should have a qualitative and reflective component. / text

This study sought to understand concerns and levels of use of a group of teachers in the process of developing a project-based learning (PBL) program, and the effect of a change facilitator on these processes. The research was guided by the following research questions: One, what are the concerns of teachers regarding the planning of a PBL curriculum? Two, what are the levels of use of teachers in the process of planning the PBL curriculum? Three, how does a change facilitator affect the process of change in the planning of a PBL curriculum? The population of this study consisted of seven subject area high school teachers and one district level administrative staff member. This study used the concerns-based adoption model (CBAM) to study the PBL innovation. CBAM is a conceptual framework that describes, explains, and predicts teachers' concerns and behaviors throughout the change process in education. In this study, the teachers progressed through the levels of use on a timeline at a rate that was much more rapid that what is typical for implementation of an innovation in an educational setting. This rapid progression was the function of the teacher population studied and the change facilitator that led the PBL curriculum design process. With the leadership of the change facilitator, the goals of the PBL curriculum innovation were realized, and the team created a PBL curriculum with multidisciplinary PBL products that could be implemented after the development phase.