It was the goal of this study to examine teacher perceptions of the effectiveness of the English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Sheltered program model for 9th to 12th grade students as it relates to passing scores on the Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State (ACCESS) for English Language Learners Test. This study also measured teacher perceptions of the ESOL Sheltered Program as it relates to academic improvement. The research focused on the possible relationships that may exist between ACCESS scores and ESOL teacher demographics, ESOL teacher training, ESOL teacher attitudes, ESOL teacher challenges, ESOL teacher efficacy in the use of general strategies, and ESOL teacher efficacy in the use of specific verbal and nonverbal strategies. The research design required the use of the correlation, ANOVA, and regression statistical models to test the research questions. The Cronbach Alpha statistical model was used to test the survey for reliability while item-to-scale correlations were used to the test the survey for construct validity. The researcher found that there was a significant relationship between student performance as measured by ACCESS scores and the independent variable, School Culture for ESOL students. The dependent variable—effectiveness—revealed significant relationships with teacher attitudes, school culture for ESOL students, and teachers’ self-efficacy with the use of specific verbal strategies literacy, vocabulary, and questioning. Recommendations were suggested for policy makers, district educational leaders, school educational leaders, ESOL teachers, and future researchers.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate Brain Based Learning (BBL) techniques in teaching science. Participants included 216 K-12, full-time, regular education teachers from 8 Northeast Tennessee school systems who taught at least 1 science class. Specifically this research was guided by 7 research questions on teachers’ perceptions and practices in teaching science. Data were collected by a survey that consisted of 82 statements where teachers rated their level of agreement and was distributed online via Survey Monkey. The first portion of my survey included demographic identifiers, teachers’ knowledge of the term BBL, and inquiries regarding science background and training. The remainder of the statements were focused on teachers’ perceptions and practices of BBL strategies in teaching science. The final item was open-ended and allowed teachers to share comments related to teaching science. For statements 6-81, participants responded by using a 5-point Likert scale that ranged from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Quantitative data were analyzed with a series of independent samples t tests, one-way analysis of variance tests, and a Pearson correlation coefficient. The results of the study indicate that teachers’ perceptions are positively correlated to their self-reported practices. Females, in general, and elementary teachers tend to practice BBL strategies in teaching science significantly more than other subgroups.

High occurrences of student incivilities are a growing concern in the K-12 education system. This problem may be directly impacted by systems thinking and inconsistent school policy enforcement. At a local high school, this problem affected student learning outcomes and teacher-student interpersonal relationships. The purpose of this case study was to explore the perceptions of teachers and administrators regarding consistency in discipline policies and practices, as well as student incivilities as they related to Senge's 5 disciplines. The conceptual framework for this study was Senge's 5 disciplines of organizational learning: systems thinking, mental models, team learning, shared vision, and personal mastery. Using a case study design and responsive interviews, data from discipline procedure documents and data on student incivilities were collected from 9 teachers in Grades 9-12, as well as 2 administrators. The data were analyzed using Hatch's interpretive method. Findings indicated discipline policies and practices were ineffective and inconsistent, due to poor systemic communication structures and lack of classroom management. A recommendation was made to implement systemic classroom management policies and Positive Behavior Intervention and Support trainings. Positive social change occurs when administrators and teachers implement the systemic policies and trainings identified in this study in order to motivate students to change their patterns of incivility and, as a result, focus on learning.

This program evaluation study addressed a critical deficiency in early childhood math proficiency for a local urban school district. To strengthen students' skills in mathematics, the district adopted the Common Core State Standards and piloted an inquiry-based instructional program called My Math. The purpose of this project study was to determine the extent to which My Math met the goals of improving Grades K-2 students' math proficiency. The conceptual framework was based on theories of multiple intelligences, social learning, and foundations of social development. The National Program Evaluation Standards were used to guide the program evaluation. The research questions centered on the implementation of My Math in terms of usability, lesson coherence, support provided by program materials and effectiveness of materials in enhancing students' mathematical processes based on teachers' perspectives. Data were collected from 57 teachers who completed an electronic survey and from 6 teachers who participated in focus groups and interviews. Survey data were descriptively analyzed and interview and focus group data were coded for development of common themes. Teacher participants reported gains in students' mathematical processes after using the My Math program. The program evaluation report reflected support for My Math as an effective instructional program for Grades K-2 along with recommendations for supplementation of the program with additional resources to address individual needs among students. Positive social change at the local level includes enhancing students' learning and achievement in mathematics, and assisting other districts in understanding the benefits of the My Math program on student achievement for early childhood students.

Conduct problems describe behaviors that violate either age-appropriate societal norms or the rights of others. They include: physical or verbal aggression, theft, lying, arguing with authority, defiance, violation of rules, property destruction, fire setting, and truancy. Among youth with conduct problems, a subset display features known as callous-unemotional (CU) traits. CU traits, or interpersonal callousness, are exemplified in behaviors such as: (a) absence of remorse or guilt, (b) lack of empathy and, (c) callous use of others for personal gain (Frick & White, 2008). This study aims to fill the gap of examining these students in schools and which practices are currently being used to manage these students’ behaviors. Because students with callous unemotional traits are typically the students exhibiting the most extreme and aggressive forms of conduct problems, there is a need to discover effective ways to manage their behavior in order to maintain a safe and effective learning environment for all students. In this study, vignettes were used to make comparisons between youth with and without CU traits in the following areas: (RQ1) teachers’ attributive perceptions of conduct problems (i.e., Why do they think the child behaves this way?), (RQ2) teachers’ self-efficacy in addressing conduct problems in the classroom, (RQ3) the most appropriate educational setting for students with conduct problems, (RQ4) the type of behavior management strategies believed to be most effective, and (RQ5) the expected trajectory of the student. Teachers were most likely to attribute problem behavior of all students to home and within child factors but they were somewhat more likely to attribute home factors to the students with CU traits. Teachers additionally feel overall less efficacious in working with students with CU traits, had lower expectations of success, and were more likely to recommend ongoing home-school collaboration. Participants in this study showed overwhelming support for the fact that reinforcing interventions are more effective than punitive interventions and knowledge of a wide range of interventions. The discussion describes suggestions for future training to increase teacher competency in working with students with conduct problems in the general education setting.

This study aimed to investigate how English language curriculum of the sixth, seventh and eighth grades of public primary schools was implemented by teachers and how it was experienced by students. The major areas of investigation were the teachers&rsquo / and students&rsquo / perceptions of the curriculum goals and content, instructional strategies, evaluation and assessment procedures, learner attitudes and the problems encountered during the curriculum implementation. Through a questionnaire for teachers and students, the data collected were from 368 teachers and 1235 students randomly selected from the 21 cities and 42 towns of the seven regions of Turkey. The results revealed that the implementation process of the English language curriculum showed differences in relation to the facilities of schools and classrooms, teacher and student characteristics and perceptions. Majority of the curriculum goals were attained at a moderate level and there were some problems with the selection and ordering of curriculum content. Various types of teacher-centered and learner-centered instructional strategies were implemented depending on the language skill to be taught and learned, and the students had positive attitudes towards most of these instructional strategies. The main problems encountered in the implementation process resulted from the lack of materials and resources, the course-book, the learners, the classroom environment and the curriculum. These problems influenced the attainment of goals, classroom practices and the assessment procedures. v Teachers&rsquo / perceptions of curriculum goals and content differed in relation to school location, age, teaching experience and educational background. Students&rsquo / perceptions of the curriculum differed in relation to their grade levels, gender, parents&rsquo / educational and English level and previous English grade. English language curriculum, English language teaching, curriculum implementation, teacher perceptions, student perceptions, primary school

The purpose of this study was to examine how secondary Catholic school teachers perceived problem behavior exhibited by students with or without disabilities based on their theological philosophy. Using the methods identified in grounded theory, seven secondary Catholic school teachers were interviewed to gain an understanding of the extent to which a theological philosophy was reflected in their perceptions, responses, and policies towards behavior challenges/problems. In order to conceptualize and contextualize the notion of a "theological philosophy," this study utilized three tenets of Catholic Social Teaching (dignity of the human person, common good, and preferential option for the poor and vulnerable) and the notion of hospitality to the stranger. The majority of teachers perceived behaviors showing a lack of respect towards themselves or peers as what they considered to be a behavior problem with few teachers discussing incidences of behavior that were exhibited by students with disabilities. Many teachers responded to behavior verbally as well as believed they had a role in providing interventions or support for behavior problems, and while this was the case, not all teachers differentiated behavior consequences for students with disabilities. School policies were found to inform more how secondary Catholic school teachers responded to behavior challenges/problems with teachers citing factors that affected how they implemented the school policies. The notion of a theological philosophy was found to be reflected in these teachers' perceptions and responses in relation to the dignity of the human person and common good tenets of Catholic Social Teaching with teachers believing the notion of a theological philosophy was not reflected to a great extent within school policies. Findings from this study point to the individuality of the teacher. While these seven teachers taught within the context of a secondary Catholic school, each brought to their practice their own beliefs, expectations, and faith. Consequently, this affected not only how they perceived and responded to behavior challenges/problems, but the extent to which a theological philosophy was reflected in their perceptions and responses towards behavior challenges/problems.

Magister Educationis - MEd / Since the onset of democracy in 1994, education in South Africa has undergone many developments and changes due to curriculum innovations and interventions. For more than two decades, the government has been seeking to eliminate the divisions of the past by establishing a society based on democratic values, social justice and the observance of fundamental human rights as described in Act 108 of 1996 in the Constitution. The curriculum changes in South Africa after 1994 had a huge impact on the education system as a whole, and classroom teaching shifted from being largely teacher- centered to being predominantly learner-centered. Hence, the newly revised Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) was introduced (DBE, 2011) to provide all teachers with the same outline of what should be taught, when and how. The government's efforts at improving teaching and learning as well as maintaining a high standard of education are commendable, however, findings through this research demonstrate that CAPS disregards the massive differences in terms of contexts within which schools operate and the general lack of resources faced by certain schools. The main aim of this research was to explore the nature of the capability sets of teachers with respect to the implementation of the CAPS curriculum in a no fee school community in the Western Cape. The research was conducted within the framework of a qualitative research approach with a case study design. Classroom observation, focus group interviews and document analysis were utilized as data collection methods. The capability approach of Amartya Sen was applied to unveil the nature of teachers' capability sets in a no fee school in the Western Cape. This study has established that there are several factors inside and outside the school, which influence the implementation of CAPS during the teaching and assessment processes. Therefore, recommendations are made that the policymakers should take into account the context and socio economic background of the school and learners before changing the curriculum.

America's school-age population is experiencing a demographic shift. In 1972, students of color represented 22% of the school-age population; in 2005, minority students accounted for 33% of public school enrollment (Statistics, 2007 Villegas, 2002). This study sought to explore how these changing demographics affected University Town Community Schools, the district's interventions, and teachers' perceptions to those interventions. This study also explored teachers' feelings of efficacy when teaching minority students. Using a qualitative study among third-, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade elementary school teachers, a random sample of 9 teachers from schools comprising a minority population of at least 40% were interviewed. Data analysis involved the use of themes that emerged from the interview data, observations, and quotations from participants. The findings indicated that the district acted on a school-by-school basis, with no specific actions to target any one racial group. Meanwhile, teachers were inconsistent when discussing race, behavior, and learning. Teachers felt comfortable assigning behaviors based on race and culture, but were hesitant to assign learning strengths and weaknesses based on race or culture.

The aim of the present study is to find out what the self-perceptions of Greek non-native speaking teachers of English (non-NESTs) are regarding their effectiveness as foreign language teachers. What is more, the study aims to explore the Greek non-NESTs’ perceptions about their teaching employability opportunities, in positions for which NESTs also apply. More specifically, in the present study, 32 non-NEST Greek participants were asked to answer a questionnaire regarding their self-perceptions as non-NEST teachers, their experiences with issues of equality in teaching employment opportunities, on the basis of their non-nativeness, and their self-perceived teaching differences and/or similarities with native speaking teachers of English. The results of the study revealed that, in general, the participants are confident in teaching the language. However, they seem to be sceptical about the possibilities of a Greek non-NEST to be preferred for a private school teaching position, over a native-speaking teacher candidate. The study also showed that the Greek participants claimed grammar and syntactic knowledge, as well as the opportunity to use their and their students’ first language (L1) during lessons, to be their most significant teaching assets -with the latter possibly further contributing to the development of the target language, as long as the non-NEST knows the appropriate mechanisms to enhance L2 literacy development through the use of the L1. At the same time, the English language levels where they report needing stronger proficiency are pronunciation and vocabulary.