Historically, American schools have reflected the larger societal structures. When crises occur across the nation, they seep into the classroom and impact the educational experiences of students. Scholars and social advocates have worked across professional arenas throughout history to reduce the injustices embedded in schools. Ongoing discussion and debate about educational equity in schools highlights the importance of an educational system that works for all learners. In more contemporary times, American schools are experiencing overlapping crises. These crises consist of the teacher well-being crisis, the school discipline crisis, and the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the proposed study is to examine the intersection of these three crises by exploring the relationship between teacher early childhood well-being and equitable educational practices in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study utilizes a convergent design that includes both quantitative and qualitative data gathered sequentially. The quantitative data examined the association between early childhood teachers' feelings of efficacy in culturally responsive instruction and their emotional state as it relates to their profession. The qualitative data explored how early childhood teachers make sense of culturally responsive teaching and classroom management. The two forms of data were combined to better understand the three current crises impacting schools. Participants in the survey data collection included a total of 88 early childhood teachers (pre-kindergarten through third grade) working during the 2020-2021 academic school year. Qualitative interview data were gathered from a subsample of those early childhood teachers (n=11) via phone interviews. Qualitative findings revealed that teachers generally had a superficial understanding of culturally responsive teaching and culturally responsive classroom management (CRT-CRCM), although some expressed a desire to learn more. Quantitative results indicated that teachers' self-reported beliefs and ability in CRT-CRCM did not relate to their self-reported well-being. However, access to professional development was associated with well-being, suggesting a potential mechanism for cultivating greater CRT-CRCM skills in teachers while also supporting their well-being. I intend for the results of this study to contribute to the nascent literature regarding the needs of our nation’s teachers during this unprecedented time. / School Psychology
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TEMPLE/oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/8485 |
| Date | January 2023 |
| Creators | Sevon, Mawule, 0000-0002-4816-4464 |
| Contributors | Sandilos, Lia, Johnson, Jennifer M., 1970-, Jiang, Xu (Psychologist), Austin, Crystal, West, Jennifer M. |
| Publisher | Temple University. Libraries |
| Source Sets | Temple University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 110 pages |
| Rights | IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/8449, Theses and Dissertations |
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