Teacher self-efficacy is a critical component of school life quality, leading scholars to explore the mechanisms behind it. Most studies have focused on this factor's mediation and moderation functions, with some indicating a strong link between teachers' academic optimism and self-efficacy. However, the roles of teachers' professional development…

With large-scale wicked problems threatening our world, the integration of sustainability into teacher professional learning is systemically lacking in the United States. The purpose of this case study was to understand the impact of a multi-session, sustainability-related professional learning program on twelve PreKindergarten-8th grade educators…

Background: Since the outbreak of COVID-19, online courses have been extensively used from K-12 to higher education. Online learning engagement, an important factor in online learning success, is currently at a low level in high school. Meanwhile, the research on the factors that influence high school students' online learning engagement is still…

Teachers must meet a variety of students' mathematics learning needs but are often not trained to do so. Little is known about how teachers perceive their efficacy to meet diverse math learning needs. The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to explore teacher attitudes and perceptions of professional development (PD) and…

Teachers' beliefs, knowledge, and decisions can affect the way teachers teach, and, consequently, what students learn. Self-efficacy beliefs may also interact with beliefs about the most appropriate and effective teaching and the selection of instructional practices to implement. We examined the relationships among teachers' mathematics…

This study focused on a problem of practice at Mystic River School (MRS), a kindergarten through eighth grade school in an urban district in New England. Schoolwide diagnostic data showed a significant gap between multilingual learners (MLs) and their native English speaking peers in literacy. An analysis of this data, interviews with staff and…

This phenomenological study explored best practices to increase preservice teacher self-efficacy before the student teaching semester. The research was guided by this central inquiry and three sub-questions. Using a pre- and post-phenomenon survey instrument as well as an initial questionnaire and a final reflection, preservice teachers who were…

There is limited robust evidence of the effectiveness of professional development (PD) on teacher retention. This study tested The Academy for Teachers' PD program, a content-focused intensive workshop with complementary events. This program is designed to impact teacher retention, support integration of material into the classroom and teacher…

This study extends the community of inquiry (CoI) framework and self-regulated learning (SRL) theory through an exploration of the structural relationships among existing CoI variables, learning presence (i.e., self-efficacy and online SRL strategy) and learning outcomes in the context of K-12 online learning. To help understand the influence of…

This study of over 100 kindergarten through 12th grade teachers in southern California focused on the exploration of teacher spirituality, specifically relationship with God and spiritual connection to others, through investigating its predictive role on teacher self-efficacy, specifically efficacy in student engagement, instructional strategies,…

This paper reports findings of a mixed methods study examining private school teachers' perceptions of efficacy in dealing with the challenges presented by inclusive education in Macao. This is highly pertinent after the Government invited consultation to propose changes to amendments of the Decree Law of 1996 concerning the education of students…

Background: Value-added modeling (VAM) has been used to rank teachers and assess teacher and school quality. The apparent relationship between value-added teacher rankings and gains in student performance provide a foundation for the view that the contribution of teachers to student performance is the largest factor influencing student…

Limited research exists on the role service learning can play in helping students understand loss and grief. Through semi-structured interviews with students and instructors, online surveys, and course feedback, this qualitative case study examined the experiences of 15 university students in an outreach course working with grieving K-12 students.…

The theme of this year was educate to liberate. A reminder to the literacy community that education, and literacy extend beyond the content and courses we teach. As Freire puts it, "Leaders who do not act dialogically, but insist on imposing their decisions, do not organize the people--they manipulate them. They do not liberate, nor are…

A critical next step in advancing our understanding of teacher practices that can equitably engage and support learning in diverse classrooms is determining the effectiveness of culturally responsive interventions. Yet, quantitative measurement indicators of the effectiveness of culturally responsive teaching interventions are scarce. Most…