Browsing by Subject "teachers"
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Item A case study of the voices of African American teachers in two Texas communities before and after desegregation, 1954 to 1975(2009-05-15) Standish, Hilary A.This qualitative study explored the experiences of African American educators who worked in two communities in Texas during the years 1954 to 1975. The goal was to document the educators? perceptions of teaching in segregated schools, their recollections of how the desegregation process was implemented in their districts, and their perceptions regarding teaching in desegregated schools. College Station schools desegregated in 1966, and Bryan schools desegregated in 1971. The study considered the years 1954 to 1975. A purposive sample of eleven African American teachers was interviewed. The data was analyzed in two ways. Findings generated using the categorical content method of narrative analysis revealed the following: In Phase One, when participants worked in segregated schools, they had to deal with numerous hardships; yet they had a high sense of teacher efficacy, had high expectations for students, and were highly regarded in their roles as teachers. 2) In Phase Two, the Brown v. Board of Education ruling had no immediate impact on the communities? schools, although there were a series of arsons committed against African American schools that proved to be critical in bringing about desegregation. 3) In Phase Three, the participants were typically re-assigned or demoted; yet several factors made their work easier, although it became difficult to develop meaningful relationships with students and some students felt disconnected from the educational process. Narrative analysis using the holistic content method discerned three overarching patterns found across the collective body of data. They were a) double consciousness, b) an ethic of caring, and c) resiliency traits. In addition to the above findings, the model of an inverted rite of passage was developed to describe the African American educators? experiences in which participants underwent a process of change, over which they had little control. Desegregation compelled them to leave familiar settings, and to make personal and professional adjustments. In contrast to traditional rites of passage, the participants did not emerge from this process with new-found, elevated statuses. Instead, they occupied a socially ambiguous terrain as they joined predominantly White faculties at desegregated schools.Item Impacts of graduate student content specialists serving in middle school classrooms on teachers and graduate students(2009-05-15) Mowen, Diana L.Improving student achievement is a major concern across the United States. One strategy being implemented to help students achieve in math and science is the partnering of teachers with professionals in math and science careers. One such program is the Fellows Integrate Math/Science in Rural Middle Schools program, from which this research stems. The intent of the program was to match middle school teachers with graduate students preparing for careers in science, technology, mathematics, or engineering fields. The graduate students spent ten hours a week in classrooms, interacting with teachers and students. Improved student performance in math and science, improved teacher content knowledge, and improved graduate student communication skills were expected program outcomes. This research assessed the impact of program participation on the teachers and graduate students involved. Data were collected from 33 middle school teachers and 33 graduate students over the course of two years of program participation. Questionnaires included a pre post measurement of knowledge, experience, and comfort level with education related groups and issues and summative program evaluations. Major findings of the research included: 1. Teacher knowledge, experience, and comfort levels with education related groups and issues did not change significantly because of participation in the program. 2. Graduate students experienced a decrease in knowledge, experience, and comfort level with several education related groups and issues from the beginning of the school year to the end. Knowledge decreases were noted with the following groups and issues: a. High school students b. Teaching college students c. Theories of learning d. Planning a project e. Following through on project tasks Experience level decreases were noted with the following groups and issues: a. Science education reform b. Current issues in K-12 education c. Teaching college students d. Theories of learning e. Assessing student learning Comfort level decreases were noted with the following groups and issues: a. Elementary school students b. University faculty engaged in K-12 education c. Science education reform d. Teaching college students e. Theories of learning f. Evaluating educational activities 3. Graduate student gender, race, and age were not found to be predictors of success in this partnership program.Item Investigating the Relationship between the Perceptions of Principals and Teachers on Site-Based Decision Making(2013-12-06) Owens, Sandra DeshonThe purpose of this record of study was to investigate the nature of relationships between the perceptions of principals and teachers on site-based decision making (SBDM) and to uncover patterns existing in relationships between and among state school ratings, principals? and teachers? perceptions of SBDM decision making at their schools, and school outcomes of discipline referrals and attendance percentages. The investigator chose four schools with different state school ratings as sites for investigating these relationships. Participants in the study were principals and teachers selected from four school types: Exemplary, Academically Recognized, Academically Acceptable, and Academically Unacceptable. The research design was a non-experimental and descriptive design focused on the four selected elementary school types. The descriptive statistic of mean was used to determine the strengths of relationships between these variables. Results of the investigation identified various trends between principals? and teachers? perceptions about SBDM at their schools. Outcomes from discipline referrals and attendance percentages in the four types of schools did not show a noteworthy difference. Overall, the data were an indication that elementary principals and teachers embrace the idea of SBDM at levels between 30% and 69% or at a higher level of 70% or above, regardless of the state?s rating of school type, number of student discipline referrals, or percentage of student attendance. This was demonstrated by the vast number of ?strongly agree? and ?agree? responses to survey items among the four schools with different ratings. Using this study as a baseline, recommendation is made to conduct a study of all district schools using a more precise survey to determine the effects of principals? and teachers? perceptions of SBDM on student achievement. Additional recommendation is made for a study to determine whether common variables other than SBDM exists in high performing Texas elementary schools that could possibly have an impact on student achievement. Although achievement objectives and instructional activities may vary as described in a state?s curriculum, this particular research could be accomplished without regard to a particular state.Item Recruitment Experiences and Decision Factors of High School Science Teachers in Texas(2012-08-02) Richardson, Rasheedah 1978-The state of Texas reflects the teacher shortages experienced by the rest of the United States. The three studies included in this dissertation use exploratory mixed-methods and qualitative research designs to understand experiences of Texas high school science teachers at the entry stage of the teacher professional continuum (TPC): recruitment. Little is understood about the relationship between recruitment, job satisfaction and retention of teachers. A conceptual framework (i.e., teacher-to-school match, realistic job previews, decision factors) was used to guide the inquiry process and help draw connections between the literature and findings from this study regarding teacher recruitment, job satisfaction, and retention. This research was completed in collaboration with the PRISE Research Group at Texas A&M University. The first study describes recruitment activities of new-to-school science teachers for their current positions. A content analysis of teachers' interviews suggested that schools are not maximizing valuable resources supporting teacher-to-school match and realistic job previews (RJP). Further analyses indicated teachers' interview experiences and participation in various types of RJP activities were associated with minority student enrollment profile (MSEP) and size of school. The second study explores reasons for teachers' decisions to accept their positions. New-to-school teachers indicated 12 categories of reasons. Subjective factors relating to non-pecuniary aspects of the job were reported by teachers more frequently than objective or critical contact factors. Teachers' responses for accepting their positions were found to be associated with MSEP and size of school. The third study describes recruitment experiences of highly satisfied and retained new-to-school teachers. Trends were identified regarding teachers' match to schools, engagement in RJP activities, and use of decision factors. Findings from this study direct researchers towards new questions with regard to teacher recruitment as a leveraging factor for job satisfaction and retention. The final chapter provides a summary of all three studies. Recommendations are made to stakeholders regarding progressive recruitment practices and policies for high school science teachers. Concurrently, themes in this chapter provide researchers with a topology for the design of future studies addressing teacher shortages on campus using the initial stage of the TPC: recruitment.Item Underrepresentation of Hispanic/Latino Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance in IDEIA: What's the Teacher's Role?(2011-10-21) Massa, IdaliaHistorically, Hispanic/Latino (H/L) students have been under-referred, under-identified, and under-served by the U.S. Special Education (SPED) system, particularly under the emotional behavioral disturbance (EBD) category. This finding is alarming given that numerous federal sources report that H/L students continue a disturbing trend of struggling academically as well as being at a higher risk for poor mental health outcomes such as elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and suicidality when compared to their peers. Unfortunately, the existing mental health and education literature on H/L students provides limited guidance in understanding the disproportionate underrepresentation of H/L in the EBD category of the SPED system; an underrepresentation well-documented in the report to congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA). Using survey methods, the purpose of this study was to shed light on the possible mediating role teachers' perceptions have on the SPED referral and identification decisions by looking at teacher ratings of risk for EBD-like behaviors of students across behavioral conditions (i.e., internalizing versus externalizing types of behaviors) and across ethnic/racial groups (i.e., White, African Americans, and H/L students) using a response-to-intervention framework. Using the Qualtrics software, an online survey tool, 114 self-selected pre-service teachers were surveyed; data was collected and analyzed using a One-way Analysis of Variance. Two main effects and two interaction effects were explored: does the students' ethnic/racial background moderate the teachers' at risk score (ARS) regardless of the behavior displayed?; does the type of behavioral expression moderate the ARS regardless of ethnic/race?; is there an interaction effect between H/L students exhibiting internalizing behaviors that systematically results in a lower ARS and AA students exhibiting externalizing behaviors that systematically results in a higher ARS? Results indicated that (a) when compared to White, Hispanic/Latino students are indeed less likely to be perceived by the pre-service teachers as exhibiting EBD-like behaviors regardless of the behavior (externalizing, internalizing, or neutral) displayed, (b) externalizing behaviors was the strongest predictor for perceiving someone as at-risk for having EBD-like behaviors, and (c) no interaction effects were found.