Teacher retention continues to be a deeply concerning issue in the United States. The purpose of this case study was to examine the impact of professional development on the retention of novice teachers in two rural school districts in Oklahoma. This case study was viewed through the lens of Bandura's (1977) Self-Efficacy Theory. Purposeful…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide rich descriptive answers from caregivers in a rural Title I school district in regards to their participation in their children's education as well as any perceived barriers that potentially would prevent participation. Using Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler's (2010) Model of Parental Involvement, the…

This study aims to address the gap in technology integration within rural Oklahoma schools by examining teacher perceptions regarding the barriers preventing them from effectively integrating technology into their instruction. The findings from this study will offer valuable insight into understanding the current state of technology integration in…

The purpose of this descriptive correlational quantitative study was to examine contributing factors of students and teachers affecting teacher self-efficacy and students' reading achievement in rural Oklahoma elementary schools in grades first through fifth. The contributing factors of students being analyzed included (a) poverty and (b) race or…

This explanatory mixed methods study explores rural Oklahoma STEM subjects and STEM elective teachers' professional experiences, including professional development and certification pathways. Participants completed the Teacher Beliefs and Attitudes Toward STEM Survey (T-STEM Survey, Friday Institute for Education Innovation, 2012) for teachers and…

The target of this qualitative case study was to discern the effectiveness of principals' servant leadership style in retaining elementary school teachers in two rural elementary schools in Oklahoma. Research shows that a great model of leadership to choose as an administrator is that of a servant leader. Servant leadership makes sure that the…

The volume of teachers leaving the educational field is ever-pervasive across schools in the United States (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019). Researchers have been highlighting the causes and implications of teacher attrition and mobility for decades (Bobbit et al., 1991; Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019; Ingersoll, 2001;…

Teacher morale affects a school district on many levels. This study seeks to explore areas why teacher morale lacks, while reviewing practices that may create an increase in teacher morale in Oklahoma public school districts. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is…

A growing problem in Oklahoma public schools is that some teachers integrate education technology into their classrooms while others do not. The need for adaptable practices with technology in classrooms has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic. Heitink et al. (2016) state that integrating technology use into the classroom often requires changes to…

Due to COVID-19, many school systems and teachers were required to use a new platform for instructional delivery. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences of six veteran teachers who have implemented blended learning in their classrooms within the past three years in one rural Oklahoma school district. Purposeful…

The purpose of this quantitative comparative quasi-experimental study was to compare the perceptions of work-life balance and turnover intentions of four-day and five-day rural Oklahoma classroom teachers. Four-day school districts have become increasingly popular across the United States as a way to reduce operational expenses, with 92 four-day…

This qualitative descriptive study investigated general education teachers' descriptions of inclusion strategies in rural Oklahoma public schools. The research was grounded in Social Cognitive Theory. Using convenience sampling, nineteen K-12 general education teachers from rural school districts were selected as participants. Research questions…

Trauma-informed school practices are interventions intended to mitigate the effects of traumatic experiences that hinder students' abilities to learn and experience success in school settings. This quantitative comparative study aimed to examine archival data on the impact of trauma-informed school practices on middle school students' grade point…

The purpose of this research was to determine what, if any, relationship existed when considering instructor credentials in relation to student surveys of instruction (SSOI), instructor credentials in relation to grade distribution, and the relationship between SSOI and grade distribution. The case study college is a two-year rural institution in…

End-of instruction (EOI) examinations are used in several states for high school students as a determining factor for graduation and the receipt of a high school diploma. Given that the EOI examinations have become a gateway to a high school diploma, it is important to understand how demographic distributions are related to examination…