This instrumental qualitative case study sought to explore the experiences of four Ontario elementary French immersion teachers with the factors that influence elementary student attrition, where French is the minority language. The study used the social constructivist approach to learning and development (Vygotsky, 1978), as well as the principles of interaction and continuity in experience (Dewey, 1971), to show that experience shapes learning within a social context. The three research questions that guided this study were: 1) According to a group of Ontario elementary French immersion teachers, what academic and social factors influence student attrition from French immersion?; 2) How are this group of teachers’ current teaching practices affected by their previous experiences with the academic and social factors that influence student attrition in French immersion, by their personal and professional learning experiences, as well as by their social context?; and 3) How might these teachers encourage students to stay in or leave French immersion? Two semi-structured individual interviews with each of the four participants were conducted. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim for coding and analysis. Results suggest that academic and social factors influence student attrition, that the teachers regularly change their teaching approaches and strategies to address student attrition and to help their students learn French, and that the teachers have experience encouraging students to stay in and leave French immersion. The findings of the present study contribute to the literature on French immersion teachers’ experiences with the factors that influence student attrition.

Thesis advisor: Andrew Hargreaves / This exploratory case study examines the experience of twelve women teachers who taught in two state-controlled school districts that had been taken over by the state authorities due to low academic performance and operational mismanagement. The qualitative methodology of exploratory comparative case analysis allowed for the consideration of the two districts as two parts of the same case, and the foundation for future research in this field (Streb, 2010). Twelve semi-structured interviews, teacher climate survey responses, and fifty-three state government documents were analyzed using an iterative coding process (Yin, 2015, pp. 196-197; Saldaña, 2015). The analysis found that structural and cultural barriers prevented the study participants from succeeding personally and professionally. Their skills as experienced educators were under-utilized and their perspectives as women were not acknowledged. Structurally, the internal organization of the districts asked a great deal of the teachers without recognizing them as professionals or women. Culturally, their gender identities as women placed them at a disadvantage with school and district leadership. The gendered barriers were woven into the fabric of the workplace so that the women teachers were unable to have access to those with power or influence. This study lays the groundwork for larger research endeavors on women in state-controlled schools, as well as policy implications for the state control of public schools and school turnaround. This study contributes to the field by specifically bringing women teachers’ voices into the discussion of school reform and improvement. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Since the Children and Families Act 2014, young people and parents appear (on paper) to have a bigger role than ever in negotiating Special Educational Needs provision for themselves/their children. However, recent studies have suggested this is not necessarily the case (Craston et al, 2013a; 2013b; 2013c), particularly for young people with a hidden impairment, such as dyslexia (Ross, 2013b; 2013c). This current study explored the experiences of dyslexic young people, their parents/carers and their teachers in relation to dyslexia-related support interventions. Over 5 months in 2015, fieldwork was undertaken at Hilltop View School (pseudonym), in a ‘Pathfinder’ Local Authority (The Stationary Office, 2011) in the South-West of England. Young people, parents and carers, and teachers participated in focus group sessions and one-to-one interviews. Lessons were also observed. Participants’ understandings of dyslexia, it’s effect on young people’s self-concept and subsequent ability to negotiate social spaces to secure provision of resources were explored within a framework based on Jenkins’ (2008) ‘levels of interaction’, grounded in a Bourdieusien model of the social world. Through the use of this unique theoretical framework, participants were found to have differing capacities to negotiate their own social space at different ‘levels of interaction’ (Jenkins, 2008). Young people and teachers were found to have the best capacity to navigate their social setting at an ‘interactional level’ (person to person interactions), while parents appeared to have more opportunity to engage at the ‘institutional level’ (person/institution to institution interactions). This study provides an understanding of the experiences of stakeholders within a changing policy framework and provides a new theoretical framework within which to undertake investigations into the experiences of stakeholders in SEND provision.

Yes / Based on the benefits of Team-Based Learning (TBL) in higher education, our project investigated possible benefits of TBL in secondary education. We found that, despite challenges, the benefits of using TBL in secondary schools make it worth teachers’ time and effort. We conducted a year-long qualitative study with 13 teachers from Ireland, Spain and UK. While teachers found preparation time, institutional requirements, and managing student team dynamics challenging, challenges were outweighed by benefits including improved student engagement, quality of learning, skill development, and teacher job satisfaction. We recommend further TBL training for secondary-level teachers and further research into this topic / ERASMUS+

The purpose of this study was to measure the influence of teacher preparation experiences, collegial support, and principal support on new teachers' decisions to remain in the teaching profession. Quantitative research was conducted using data from an electronic survey to examine the impact the three predictor variables had on the likelihood of a new teacher remaining in the profession beyond five years. Research explored the precipitating theory based on scholarly literature, that teachers who are well prepared with practical experiences, and who feel supported and valued by their colleagues and principals, reflect the highest level of job satisfaction and potential to remain in the teaching profession. Five findings emerged from this study. Two findings indicated that collegial support and principal support, both had a statistically significant influence on new teacher retention. In addition, the study found that nearly 75% of new teachers showed some level of job satisfaction with the teaching profession. Participants in the survey included one hundred and eighty-four teachers with 0-5 years experience, representing teachers from 21 secondary schools within one school district. Participants were asked to respond to questions based on their personal experiences and feelings related to the teaching profession and their overall satisfaction level. / Ed. D.

On average, teachers in the United States are absent for 9.6 days of student instruction per school year, while in this study's rural Northeast Ohio school district, teachers averaged 16.2 absences in the 2015-16 school year. Teacher absence is a concern because the classroom teacher is often considered the most crucial school-related influence on student achievement. Guided by Bowlby's attachment theory, the purpose of this study was to examine the possible predictive relationships between teacher absences for sick/personal and professional leave as well as other teacher-related variables, including teaching experience, teacher education level, and teacher evaluation results, with the outcome variables of student achievement in 4th through 8th grade English language arts and math. In this quantitative correlational study, data from 36 4th through 8th grade English language arts and math teachers were examined using simple and multiple linear regression models. Results indicated that none of the 5 teacher-related variables were significantly predictive of student achievement. Despite these non-significant results, the district's Board of Education expressed concerns about the public's perception of the district's teacher attendance rate. To address the Board's concern, a 3-day professional development program was created for the Board, administrators, and teachers to collaborate and recommend strategies to increase teacher attendance. The knowledge gained from implementing this project will promote positive social change by offering this and other school districts a variety of options to support the consistent attendance of teachers, which may, in turn, enhance student-teacher relationships, student-teacher engagement, and potentially student achievement over time.

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Title: Parents as a factor in education from the point of view of selected teachers of secondary school Author: Pavla Prskavcová Department: Department of Education Supervisor: PhDr. Jaroslava Hanušová, Ph.D. The thesis deals with individual experience of teachers of secondary schools in the area of communication with parents. The first part summarizes the theoretical knowledge necessary for understanding the next part of the thesis. The second part is devoted to the actual research and its results. The aim of the thesis is to introduce the reader to the current form of the teacher-parent relationship from the point of view of selected teachers through their individual experience. This is achieved through mixed methods research - surveys and semi-structured interviews with selected respondents. The results of this thesis allow the reader to be knowledgeable in the current form of functioning of the teacher-parent re- lationship at the secondary level of elementary schools in the Czech Republic. Keywords: teacher experience, parents, factors in education, education process, elementary school.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-04T21:16:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 18 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A tese tomou como objeto de estudo uma turma do Programa Especial para Formação de Professores em Serviço vinculado à Faculdade de Educação da Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Teve como questão inicial de pesquisa saber como foi possível conseguir transformações no senso comum fortalecido pelas práticas de escolarização e de docência das professoras discentes do curso. A questão delimitou um campo de análise e inseriu-se no propósito de compreender e dar visibilidade a um processo de êxito no que se referia às expectativas dos grupos envolvidos. Quanto à coleta de dados, foram privilegiados textos escritos pelas alunas durante o curso de formação e entrevistas narrativas que permitiram reconstruir determinados acontecimentos a partir da perspectiva individual. A análise foi feita dentro da estratégia do estudo de caso, com a utilização de princípios da análise de conteúdos. As unidades de análise ― leitura, escrita e participação ― foram consideradas como dispositivos de formação com capacidade