State legislators in the Midwestern United States implemented a Third Grade Reading Guarantee law to prevent the promotion of Grade 3 students with poor reading skills to Grade 4. As a result, schools implemented innovative reading interventions, thereby driving a need to determine teachers' concerns and levels of use (LoU) of these innovative interventions. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand Grade 3 reading teachers' stages of concerns (SoC) and LoU in implementing reading interventions, and teachers' comprehension of the innovation configurations, in view of the new Third Grade Reading Guarantee law. The conceptual framework used to undergird this study was the concerns-based adoption model. The SoC described 7 categories of possible concerns for an innovation, and the LoU described 8 behavioral profiles that educators used in practice. Data collection occurred through in-depth interview sessions using a purposeful sample of 10 Ohio Grade 3 reading teachers. Emergent themes were identified through a coding and thematic data-analysis process. Findings revealed that Ohio Grade 3 teachers' dominant SoC was a need for collaboration with other teachers. The second dominant SoC was a need to refocus on how the reading interventions would be used for the following school year. Findings showed that teachers' level of usage in Year 1 were at the mechanical level, focusing on the daily usage of the manual. In Year 2, teachers refined their practice and were better able to vary implementation format. Teachers' use of innovations improve at-risk students' reading skills, making them better scholars, who are then able to compete on many levels, and as future adults they will be able to make a positive social change by giving back to their communities.

Writing instruction has been ignored in junior high school in Taiwan. Since teachers and schools have started to focus on communicative ability, should writing gain more attention in junior high schools? The pedagogical practices are assumed to be determined by teachers¡¦ perceptions, beliefs and attitudes. Therefore, this study aims to examine teachers¡¦ perceptions of English writing instruction, what factors they believe are crucial, and what measures are recommended to improve it. Besides, the study investigates teachers¡¦ attitudes toward assessing students¡¦ writing ability in the entrance exam. Finally, this study also intends to explore whether public and private school teachers view certain issues differently. Questionnaires are administered to 57 English teachers in Taichung City and are analyzed by frequencies and the independent t-test. The findings show that either teachers or schools downplay the importance of writing instruction. Teachers find factors affecting their teaching include: students¡¦ language proficiency, students¡¦ motivation, and time and efforts spent to review students¡¦ writings. Also most teachers disapprove to include a writing test in the entrance exam. Possible measures to improve writing instruction are suggested: ability grouping, reducing the number of classes to teach, adopting more appropriate teaching materials, and avoiding a test-oriented curriculum.

Belonging is a fundamental human need and this need is universal (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). How a student perceives their own belonging within a school and classroom can be predictive of their future engagement, motivation, achievement, and success of their interpersonal relationships. Students who feel connected are found to be less likely to engage in risky behaviours, be absent from school, or drop out of school entirely (Nichols, 2006; Anderman, 2003). Recent research on belonging has sought to examine the relationship between belonging and its outcomes on student behaviour (Anderman, 2003; Clegg, 2006; Goodenow, 1993; Ma, 2003; Osterman, 2000). There is an increasing need for belonging research to examine the development and incidence of belonging in children at school (Johnson, 2009; Osterman, 2000). This study has three research questions: a) What are students’ experiences with belonging in the school? b) What are teachers’ perceptions of students’ belonging in the school? c) How do the students’ experiences and teachers’ perceptions of student belonging in the school compare? The comparison of teachers’ and students’ responses will provide more information as to whether the students’ experiences and teachers’ perceptions of student belonging are aligned or if they are disparate. This data will make it possible to begin to target specific belonging factors in school programs and teacher practices. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-04-24 11:48:13.315

ABSTRACT Although extensive research has been conducted on bullying, few studies have explored factors that elicit, impact, and maintain the dynamics of bullying from the perspectives of teachers and principals. The purpose of this study was to understand the complex nature of bullying through exploring the ecological risk factors that allow this alarming phenomenon to flourish. The influence of factors at the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem on the dynamic interaction between the bully and the victim is explained. Another goal of this research was to capture the complexity and multidimensionality of the teacher’s role in bullying prevention and intervention. The study offers the first comprehensive analysis of the ecological and contextual variables that interact to provide fertile grounds for bullying. Detailed information about principals’ and teachers’ perceptions of bullying experiences was gathered through 8 in-depth focus groups for teachers and 10 interviews with principals. Qualitative analyses of the data led to the emergence of overarching themes and related subthemes. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model (1979 ) was used to provide a conceptual and comprehensive framework that addressed the multifaceted variables. The finding indicated that a complex interrelation of variables was found to be central to victimization. The incidence of bullying was found to be directly influenced by individual traits as well as all the other ecological systems. Among the most salient findings was the influence of the peer ecology on bullying as a group phenomenon. The etiology of bullying as a manifestation of much deeper problems at the bully level was among the new findings. The impact of video games and television reality shows on bullying behaviour was also identified. The findings emphasized the significance of the teacher personality, positive teacher-student relationship, empathy, and training in classroom management for efficacy in addressing bullying prevention and intervention. Finally, the study offers recommendations for teacher training institutions.

ABSTRACT Although extensive research has been conducted on bullying, few studies have explored factors that elicit, impact, and maintain the dynamics of bullying from the perspectives of teachers and principals. The purpose of this study was to understand the complex nature of bullying through exploring the ecological risk factors that allow this alarming phenomenon to flourish. The influence of factors at the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem on the dynamic interaction between the bully and the victim is explained. Another goal of this research was to capture the complexity and multidimensionality of the teacher’s role in bullying prevention and intervention. The study offers the first comprehensive analysis of the ecological and contextual variables that interact to provide fertile grounds for bullying. Detailed information about principals’ and teachers’ perceptions of bullying experiences was gathered through 8 in-depth focus groups for teachers and 10 interviews with principals. Qualitative analyses of the data led to the emergence of overarching themes and related subthemes. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model (1979 ) was used to provide a conceptual and comprehensive framework that addressed the multifaceted variables. The finding indicated that a complex interrelation of variables was found to be central to victimization. The incidence of bullying was found to be directly influenced by individual traits as well as all the other ecological systems. Among the most salient findings was the influence of the peer ecology on bullying as a group phenomenon. The etiology of bullying as a manifestation of much deeper problems at the bully level was among the new findings. The impact of video games and television reality shows on bullying behaviour was also identified. The findings emphasized the significance of the teacher personality, positive teacher-student relationship, empathy, and training in classroom management for efficacy in addressing bullying prevention and intervention. Finally, the study offers recommendations for teacher training institutions.

abstract: ABSTRACT Current federal and state education mandates were developed to make schools accountable for student performance with the rationale that schools, teachers, and students will improve through the administration of high-stakes tests. Public schools are mandated to adhere to three accountability systems: national, state, and local. Additional elements include the recent implementation of the Common Core standards and newly devised state accountability systems that are granted through waivers as an alternative to the accountability mandates in the No Child Left Behind Act NCLB of 2001. Teachers' voices have been noticeably absent from the accountability debates, but as studies show, as primary recipients of accountability sanctions, many teachers withdraw, "burn out," or leave the profession altogether. The present study is based on the premise that teachers are vital to student achievement, and that their perspectives and understandings are therefore a resource for educational reform especially in light of the accountability mandates under NCLB. With that premise as a starting point, this dissertation examines practicing urban teachers' experiences of accountability in culturally and linguistically diverse schools. To fulfill these goals, this qualitative study used individual and focus group interviews and observations with veteran elementary school teachers in an urban Southwestern public school district, to ascertain practices they perceive to be effective. The study's significance lies in informing stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers of practicing teachers' input on accountability mandates in diverse urban schools. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Administration and Supervision 2013

Teachers are often the source of referrals to Occupational Therapy in mainstream schools. The researcher wanted to determine what the Grade one teachers’ perceptions are regarding Occupational Therapy and children with learning difficulties. A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted to gather in-depth information about the teachers’ lived experiences and thus gather information about their perception of Occupational Therapy and children with learning difficulties. This study was conducted in Tshwane South District, Gauteng. A total of seven focus groups where held at the three types of mainstream primary schools namely: No-Fee-, Former Model-C- and Private schools. The focus groups were recorded with written permission and data was transcribed and analysed. The themes highlighted the knowledge, perceptions and attitudes of the teachers towards Occupational Therapy and the children with learning difficulties. It furthermore indicated the teachers’ perception of the role that parents play in helping their children with learning difficulties. Teachers’ perceptions proved to be important when referring a child with learning difficulties to Occupational Therapy. / Dissertation (MOccTher)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Occupational Therapy / MOccTher / Unrestricted

This study was conducted after programming became an obligatory part of the Swedish school curricula during 2018 and focuses on teachers’ thoughts on programming in school. The purpose of the study was to examine how resource allocation has been done in schools across the country, and what the teachers had to say about programming based on their knowledge and available resources. The work is written based on an inductive and thematic analysis approach. In order to have a basic understanding of how the resource distribution looks, a questionnaire survey was conducted which included principals across Sweden. We then interviewed six teachers and examined how the phenomenon of programming expressed itself among the respondents depending on their resources. The results showed that the resources do not have a greater impact on the common perception of programming. There are variables that affect perceptions, but most are linked to the shortage of structure and support that seems to be lacking when introducing the area.

The purpose of this thesis is to study how teachers perceive teaching about life issues and ethics. It is a follow-up study of how teachers interpret the curriculum and how they teach in the area. Earlier research has shown that these questions have been a complexed area to teach about. According to the curriculum, life issues and ethics have an important role in the education. It is important of letting the pupils discuss and reflect in this area. The survey was conducted by using qualitative method and semi-structured interviews including eight respondents from eight different schools. Since it was a follow-up study of Hedlunds (2022) study. The aim was to conduct a similar survey on a different target group and compare the results. It was natural to use the same method and approach. The analysis of the results shown a lot of similarities but also some differences in how teachers perceive teaching about life issues and ethics, and how they interpret the curriculum. / Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka hur lärare uppfattar undervisning om livsfrågor och etik. Det är en uppföljningsstudie av hur lärare tolkar läroplanen och hur de undervisar inom området. Tidigare forskning har visat att dessa frågor har varit ett komplext område att undervisa om. Livsfrågor och etik har enligt läroplanen en viktig roll i undervisningen. Det är av stor vikt att låta eleverna diskutera och reflektera inom området. Undersökningen genomfördes genom användning av en kvalitativ metod i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer, med åtta respondenter från åtta olika skolor. Eftersom det var en uppföljning på Hedlunds (2022) studie, var syftet att göra en liknande undersökning på en annan målgrupp och jämföra resultaten. Det var naturligt att använda samma metod och tillvägagångssätt. Analysen av resultaten visade på många likheter men också vissa skillnader i hur lärare uppfattar undervisning om etik och livsfrågor, och hur de tolkar lärandemålen.

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