<p> Using Callahan's (1962) vulnerability thesis as a theoretical framework, this qualitative case studies research examines the occupational socialization of secondary, public school librarians. The study examines three novice librarians' autobiographical narratives and explores how participants perceived the influence of professional, critical events. The study addresses the challenges and successes that novice school librarians encounter or bring about during their early years in the profession. The study also examines how critical events create professional identities of school librarians, and how narratives of vulnerability (re)produce culture myths about teaching and librarianship. </p><p> In order to have a better understanding of the occupational socialization of the school librarian participants, I collected data from multiple sources for each of the cases. The procedures included direct observations, interviews, and document analysis. The research began while participants were student teaching, and data was collected until their second year of practice. </p><p> The results of the analysis indicate that participants' student teaching placements provided polarized experiences to model their practices after: either unrealistic or unacceptable. All participants express that they were unprepared for their service in public schools, and they were unsupported by their administrators in their first school librarian positions. In addition, they convey great discomfort with the "myths" of their clerical work that their administrators or job titles demanded. The study suggests that in spite of their perceived inadequate socialization, school librarian participants exhibit strength in the midst of great occupational challenges and role uncertainty. </p>

<p> This dissertation examined the College-Ready Teaching Framework (CRTF), a multiple measure teacher effectiveness rubric created by Green Dot Public Schools. The purpose of the dissertation was to determine whether or not the CRTF as a whole or in part could account for differences in student outcomes (California Standards Test [CST] scores, student growth percentile [SGP], and grade point average [GPA]). The study included teachers and students at Green Dot during the 2012-2013 school year. Correlational analyses were used to determine if there was a relationship between student achievement outcomes and the CRTF. Factor analysis was used to discover other Factors in addition to the CRTF's original five Domains. Multiple regression and step-wise regression were employed to determine if a combination of indicators, Domains, or Factors could predict student scores. The results of the findings showed that overall there were no relationships between Teacher Effectiveness Score (TES), Teacher Observation Score (TObs), and student outcome metrics (SGP, CST, and GPA). Disaggregating the dataset for math, science, and history separately, however, moderate relationships emerged between TES, TObs, SGP, and CST. Four additional Factors emerged from factor analysis that were similar to the original theoretical Domains created by CRTF designers; however. neither the original Domains nor the additional Factors were related to student outcomes. Finally, no regression model was found to hold any practical significance as no combination of indicators, Domains, or Factors accounted for more than 19.5% of the variation in student outcomes. The findings of this study are largely consistent with similar studies in the research literature where correlation analysis has been promising, yet inconsistent. The results of this study represent the addition of the CRTF to the research literature. Future research on the study of the effect of professional development and the impact of various weights of the CRTF composite score are recommended.</p>

<p> Creativity is considered to be an essential life skill that should be fostered throughout the educational system. However, public elementary school classrooms in the USA generally do not appear to be creativity-fostering places. A better understanding of teachers' beliefs about creativity would provide valuable insights into their practices in the classroom and facilitate the planning and evaluation efforts to foster creativity in all classrooms. </p><p> Using a validated survey instrument, adapted from the Teachers' Conceptions of Creativity Questionnaire (TCCQ), the researcher collected beliefs from 120 public elementary school teachers from six schools within one mid-sized public unified school district in the Los Angeles area. The survey included 25 forced choice and seven open ended items. Participating teachers taught in kindergarten through fifth grade and possessed teaching experience from 3 to 40 years. </p><p> Major conclusions include that the teachers believe creativity is primarily expressed in the form of originality of product, behavior or thought. However, these teachers were not aware that creativity should also be appropriate for the situation, an aspect critical to scholars. The teachers believe creativity to be connected mainly with the arts and school subjects in the arts. These teachers support that creativity can be developed in all students but that only a small percentage of students are highly creative. When describing creative students, teachers reported only the positive traits of creative students. The teachers believe that creativity is essential in academic learning, however, teachers expressed an ambivalence regarding their training and capability to effectively promote student creativity within the classroom. The teachers feel impeded to promote student creativity in the classroom by the emphasis on testing, standards, and expectations of the school system. Some implications for practice are that pre-service teacher education and in-service staff development should provide courses, workshops, and activities that assist teachers with knowledge and skills to foster creativity in all students within the classroom. Policy makers and educational authorities must establish creative thinking as an essential learning goal in the educational system so that all children can develop their full personal and work creative potential.</p>

<p> Few studies have investigated how university students in the United States or in other countries use smartphone technologies to support their learning. Much of the current research has investigated the general use mobile devices such as smartphones rather than identifying the specific applications used by university students to support their learning. In addition, there is a lack of research investigating the influence of institution, gender and culture on university students' use of smartphones to supporting their learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate how US university students and university students from Saudi Arabia use smartphone for learning in the undergraduate teacher education courses. A total of 249 undergraduate teacher education students from Montana State University and 320 undergraduate students from King Kahlid University, Saudi Arabia were surveyed to assess their use of smartphone applications to support their learning. Results from the 43 item smartphone survey found that MSU students reported using their smartphones "sometime to often" during class and outside of classroom setting while KKU students on the other hand reported using smartphones "Never or Rarely" during class or outside of class. The most frequent use of smartphones by MSU students reported was for communicating and collaborating with others by texting or through email. The most frequent uses of smartphones reported by KKU students during and outside of class were for "communicating with others by texting and "accessing course information". Although MSU and KKU students differed significantly on some of the items assessing smartphone use in and outside of the classroom, the differences were very small in magnitude. Both MSU and KKU students reported that they "never or rarely" observed others using their smartphones to dishonestly to complete assignments or during quizzes and exams. Results from this study indicate that smartphone applications are under utilized as a learning tool in higher education. As university students continue to have greater access to mobile devices, university faculty should consider ways to develop courses that are accessible by smartphones and other mobile devices to increase student learning opportunities.</p>

<p> California's Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment program (BTSA) is a high stakes induction program; a new teacher's completion of a BTSA induction program leads to the California clear credential. The cornerstone of the BTSA induction program is the mentor, also known as a support provider. Mentors provide a variety of services to new teachers including individualized formative assessment of practice and ongoing reflection on teaching skills. Effective mentors are critical to the success of new teachers and foundational to the induction program. Although BTSA programs are mandated by state induction standards to assess the quality of services provided by their support providers, the standards do not define quality. BTSA programs are free to create their own assessment criteria and assessment methods. </p><p> This qualitative, descriptive study (a) examined the perceptions of BTSA program directors on the relationship between established forms of mentor criteria, methods of formative assessment, and formative feedback provided to mentors and (b) identified those components of mentor assessment that are perceived by BTSA program directors to be valuable in assessing mentor effectiveness. </p><p> The study found that BTSA directors placed import on assessing mentors for personal dispositions, such as attitude and responsibility, as well as the quality of their work with their novice teachers. Directors perceived that formative feedback from either the BTSA director or peers was important in increasing mentor effectiveness. The directors' perceptions of valued components of mentor assessment were shaped not only by the requirements regarding mentor assessment contained within Induction Standard 3 (California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2008), but by local culture, district goals, and existing models of educator assessments within each organization. </p><p> BTSA directors, who led programs in high performing schools, valued assessing a mentor's ability to build relationships with novices for the purpose of advancing the novices' teaching practice and were more likely to endorse mentor self-assessment and reflection as major components of assessment. Conversely, BTSA directors who operated programs in under-performing schools valued mentor assessment components that evaluated the mentor's ability to effect and advance the teaching practice of the novice. The latter programs perhaps provided mentors with more specific, explicit feedback.</p>

Despite decades of research on human motivation within an educational context, there emerges neither one theory nor one pragmatic intervention that is commonly accepted. These observations raise two fundamental questions: why does human motivation confound a common theoretical base and why does it appear to resist interventions? Addressing these two fundamental questions, this thesis offers a literature critique that highlights motivation in education as value-laden. The thesis then posits that to understand motivational adjustment the critical focus lies not on the value-agents (lecturers, parents) but on the value-receivers (the students). Additionally, the thesis posits that an adequate comprehension of students' motivational adjustment requires a research methodology that embraces the defining context. The research subjects are two cohorts of trainee (Primary) teachers. The first cohort (N=47) comprises incoming students direct from Secondary education. The second cohort (N=33) are post Certificate in Education students with prior work and teaching experience. Both cohorts are enrolled in first semester, Batchelor of Education programmes at the Hong Kong Institute of Education in Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of the Peoples' Republic of China. A feature of this study is that the research subjects are ethnic Chinese. Reporting a semester-long study, a critique of 'motivation' is provided in the light of data collated from both pre and post semester questionnaires (N= 160) and mid and end semester interviews (N= 38). Data analysis displays the emergence over one semester of an underlying motivational conformity towards prioritising 'self-defense'. Three effects of prioritising 'self-defense' are noted: first, students' perception of an event is subservient to its short-term experience; second, cognition is subservient to affective responses and third, goals are determined by the interaction between the affective and cognitive responses. The thesis concludes by noting implications for further research in both human motivation and cultural studies. Key words: Motivation, teacher-training, culture. ethnic Chinese, Hong Kong (PRC).

The overarching purpose of this study was invite classroom teachers to engage in dialogue about the moral dimensions of teaching, and to consider their responses in light of current moral theory on the topic. The research questions were: How do teachers talk about and understand the moral or relational aspects of what they do? How do teachers' perceived limitations or realistic constraints affect what they do? / The methods employed in this naturalistic study involved the collection of qualitative data through participant observation and in-depth ethnographic interviewing. A philosophical hermeneutic perspective was embodied in the collection and interpretation of data. / The study revealed that teachers can and will talk about what they do in terms of a moral purpose when given the opportunity and audience to do so. The essence of moral teaching, for teachers, is in the arena of human relationships. Teachers realize the impact they have on student learning and personal growth. Specifically, they note how consistency and respect in classroom management and acts of care impact their students. They also talk about a teacher's commitment to professional development and collaborative relationships when discussing what teachers ought to be and do. / The study also demonstrated that there are individualistic factors which affect teachers' moral talk, understanding, and actions. The stories of three teachers reveal the impact of teaching context (the school setting and culture in which one teaches), teaching experience (the number of years one has been a classroom teacher), and teaching temperament (the characteristic way one thinks and acts) on the teacher's ability to focus on the moral dimensions of teaching. / The results of this study are significant because they substantiate the rhetoric on morality and teaching. The results imply that ways to facilitate moral discourse in teachers' professional development settings should be explored. Furthermore, the study also implies a need for transformed teacher preparation programs that will embody the moral mission of the teaching profession. Finally, the study has implications for school reformers who seek educational change that is driven by a sense of moral vision. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-09, Section: A, page: 2713. / Major Professor: Kathryn Scott. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

Little research has been conducted to document the process utilized in state-mandated multicultural teacher inservice education programs and the effect of these programs on teachers and their ability to teach their limited English proficient (LEP) students. The current study focused on the component of culture in the 60-hour inservice education required of content-area teachers in Florida. The purpose was to assess the impact of inservice educational programs on public school teachers' cross-cultural adaptability using control and experimental groups. / The study established the relationship between multicultural inservice education and the four dimensions of cultural adaptability: emotional resilience, flexibility/openness, perceptual acuity, and personal autonomy. The study also investigated the relationship of these four dimensions to teacher characteristics of gender, age, race, years of teaching experience, languages spoken fluently other than English, and extent of overseas travel. / One hundred and three male and female content-area teachers ranging in age from 24 to 60 years old were divided into four groups: (a) two control groups of 24 and 29 teachers respectively, and (b) two experimental groups of 24 and 26 teachers, respectively. The two experimental groups consisted of teachers participating in a multicultural inservice education program. The two control groups were composed of teachers who had not yet had the inservice program. / All subjects were administered the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI) developed in California by Meyers and Kelley (1987) as well as the Multicultural Opinion Survey (developed at The Ohio State University) and a Demographic Profile Checklist. Semi-structured interviews with selected teachers were conducted to further substantiate the outcomes of the inservice education. The instructor was also interviewed regarding her educational background and teaching experience. / Contrary to what the researcher expected, the findings of the study revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in the teachers' cross-cultural adaptability scores before and after taking the cultural component of the inservice educational program. The results of the study indicate that inservice educational programs in multicultural education need to be reevaluated. Further research is needed in other parts of the country to validate the findings of the current study. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-12, Section: A, page: 4378. / Major Professor: Byron G. Massialas. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

The purpose of the study was to determine the extent of occupational stress and burn-out extant among teachers and administrators in elementary schools of Leon County, Florida, to examine perceptions of role conflict (RC) and role ambiguity (RA), and to determine the degree of relationship between these (RC & RA) and reported stress. / The sample for the study was composed of school-based elementary school administrators (N = 33) from the 16 schools participating in the study and a stratified by school) random sample (N = 160) of the teaching staff (N = 644) of these elementary schools. Response rate for administrators was 84.5% and 66.2% for teachers. / An instrument, the Fogelson Educators Survey (FES) was constructed for the purposes of the study. It contained three sections: the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), (1981), deriving scores in three dimensions: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA); a Role Questionnaire by House, Rizzo, and Lirtzman (1970); and a 13 question demographic questionnaire designed to uncover specific demographic variables relative to the respondents of the study. After analysis of the quantitative data, two schools were chosen for more intensive research. Teachers and administrators were interviewed to verify and clarify the quantitative results. / Results indicated that emotional exhaustion is present in moderate levels but that depersonalization and feelings of lack of personal accomplishment were low among teachers and administrators. Levels of role conflict and role ambiguity were also low when compared to established norms. Other factors influencing educator perception of stress were age, grade level taught, communication styles, and school governance models. / Recommendations included on-going stress management workshops coupled with teacher and administrator support groups, training in procedures necessary for successful implementation of site-based, shared decision-making models of school governance, increased use of face-to-face, interactive modes of communication, and a course component in non-instructional duties of teachers as part of either teacher education programs or district Professional Orientation Programs (POP). / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-10, Section: A, page: 3417. / Major Professor: John H. Hansen. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

A number of studies have shown evidence of both facilitative and nonfacilitative effects of preinstructional strategies in enhancing learner recall and conceptual understanding of textual materials. Three activities considered in this study are advance organizers, performance objectives, and structured overviews. Six hundred and sixty eight preservice teachers enrolled in Zimbabwe's premier teachers' training colleges participated. / The first phase was composed of an experiment to test any significant differences between the control and the treatment variables. All subjects were randomly assigned to the control and treatment groups. For each group, a simple analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to show whether there were any statistical differences between the treatment groups. Glass's effect size technique was also applied to determine the composite differences between the groups. / The second phase of the study was of a descriptive nature. Parallel surveys to 64 faculty 674 students were used to identify characteristics likely to make participants supportive of preinstructional activities. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-11, Section: A, page: 3973. / Major Professor: Robert M. Morgan. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.