The effectiveness of full-time and part-time faculty is an area of major interest in education, especially in light of the dramatic rise of part-time faculty on the nation's campuses. In the period between 1976 and 1994, the use of full-time faculty increased by 21% while the use of part-time faculty increased by 91% (Clery, 1998). The quality of instruction is the primary concern surrounding the use of part-time faculty (Clery, 1998; Fedler, 1989; Gappa & Leslie, 1997; Leslie, 1998; Mellander & Mellander, 1999; Spangler, 1990). One way of assessing quality of education is by assessing teacher effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to compare the teaching effectiveness of part-time and full-time clinical nursing faculty. To achieve this, the Nursing Clinical Teacher Effectiveness Inventory (NCTEI) (Knox & Mogan, 1985) was adapted for use in measuring student and faculty perceptions of part-time faculty and of full-time faculty. The NCTEI was designed to measure five categories important in clinical nursing instruction: teaching ability, nursing competence, evaluation, interpersonal relationships, and personality traits. The sample included two groups: clinical nursing students in Associate Degree Nursing programs at schools in a mid-Atlantic state and the part-time and full-time faculty who taught those students. There were three components of the study. First students completed questionnaires about the effectiveness of their part-time and full-time clinical nursing faculty. Second, part-time and full-time clinical nursing faculty completed questionnaires about their perceptions of their own effectiveness. Finally, results were compared with the percentage of first-time pass rates on the National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Results of the study indicate that students rank part-time faculty as significantly less effective than full-time faculty on each of the five categories measured by the NCTEI and on the overall scale. These results are supported by the finding that there is no significant difference in the ways that students rate the effectiveness of teachers and the self-ratings of the teachers themselves. / Ph. D.

This study is a mixed-methods analysis of writing processes and the reading and language experiences of d/Deaf and hearing participants. The sample consisted of three groups of 15 adults each, identified as either high-achieving d/Deaf readers, high-achieving hearing readers, or struggling d/Deaf readers. The purpose of this study is to identify factors related to writing achievement and to explore themes that emerge within an asset-based/anti-deficit, d/Deaf bilingualism/Deaf Gain theoretical framework. Five quantitative measures are used in the study: a reading comprehension assessment, a background questionnaire, a handwriting speed test, a phonological skills assessment, and a writing assessment measuring the cognitive, linguistic, and conventional components. Scores from the writing assessment are correlated with demographic statistics and other assessments to identify factors of writing achievement. Similarities and differences among groups of participants are tested with MANOVAs to identify mean differences in scores according to hearing status (d/Deaf/hearing) and reading achievement level (high-achieving/struggling). Qualitative data were gathered by collecting, reviewing, coding, and identifying overarching themes in the interview transcripts within an asset-based/anti-deficit, d/Deaf Bilingualism/Deaf Gain theoretical framework. The findings show that high-achieving d/Deaf participants performed at levels similar to those attained by high-achieving hearing participants, and that for all participants, reading comprehension, phonological skills, handwriting speed, and personal factors were related to writing achievement. Similarities and differences in reading and writing ability were also found. Access to language and explicit instructional approaches emerged as overarching themes in writing effectively.

The aim of this thesis is to analyse and describe aspects related to the process of becoming a teacher. The thesis is divided into two parts ? theoretical and research. In the theoretical part the thesis derives information from specialized publications dealing with teaching topics and discusses the history of teaching profession, teacher?s personality, competences and typology. It also analyses the prestige and the causes of feminization of the teaching profession. In the research part using a qualitative study it investigates aspects related to the process of becoming a teacher from the female perspective. The research is based on in-depth interviews with female primary school teachers in different periods of their teaching practise. Dealing with both parts the thesis summarises and generalizes the main aspects affecting the process of becoming a teacher. The thesis is completed with my short essay on a theme ?good teacher?.