Student teachers (N = 22) in a New York State Graduate School of Education pre-service teacher preparation program reported feeling ineffective in using classroom management (CM) skills and strategies. Using an Improvement Science approach and Bandura's work on self-efficacy, this mixed methods research project examined whether providing…

This study utilized constructivist grounded theory to examine teacher candidates' STEM confidence, preparedness, and self-efficacy before and after participation in an elementary STEM methods course. The study aimed to identify characteristics of the course that impacted teacher candidates' growth. Twenty teacher candidates and the course…

This study aimed to understand graduate-level Elementary Preservice Teachers' (EPST) mathematical dispositions before, during, and after a graduate elementary math methods course taught through a rehumanizing, ambitious and equitable math teaching framework. In this study, EPSTs' dispositions included four constructs: math anxiety, math teaching…

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, the education technology narrative asserted that "New tools hold great promise for teaching and learning, but only when they are used effectively, appropriately and intentionally". In this dissertation, I explored how early childhood education teachers construct their understanding of technology…

Preservice educators are required to enroll in multiple methods courses to prepare them to effectively teach content to students. With the increase of online teacher preparation programs, methods courses are also being offered virtually. This study sought to investigate the overall attitudes, beliefs, and preparedness of candidates after…

The purpose of this study was to build on recent survey research on writing instruction to examine both the types and extent of teachers' preparation to teach writing and what teachers' writing instruction currently looks like, including the evidence-based practices teachers use, the amount of time spent teaching writing, and the types of writing…

The impact of the "Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)" on K-12 science education has gained significant momentum over the last several years. Evidence of the "NGSS" can be seen in revised state science content standards and amended teacher preparation standards. Due to this growing impetus, a holistic redesign of teacher…

Students coming to university agricultural education programs have less agricultural experience than in the past. Teacher educators are limited to the experiences they can facilitate. Universities have graduated qualified agricultural teacher candidates who do not have experiences in content area skills required of them to teacher. This study…

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 urgency for teacher educators to instruct preservice teachers in the core tenants of social justice education. This urgency is based upon the ever-growing shift in the American demographic landscape and the responsibility of educators to teach for equity, justice, identity and community within classrooms across the U.S. Preservice…

For the last thirty years research has unfailingly shown that teacher efficacy has a positive impact on student outcomes, making teacher efficacy an critical element in quality mathematics instruction. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a math methods course on the mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs of elementary pre-service…

As evidenced in the growing achievement gap between English language learners (ELLs) and their non-ELL counterparts, it is clear future teachers need to be better prepared to work with ELLs. This study examined the influence of infusing ELL strategies into methods courses through instructional coaching. This study was inspired by the larger…

Elementary teachers are criticized for failing to incorporate meaningful science instruction in their classrooms or avoiding science instruction altogether. The lack of adequate science instruction in elementary schools is partially attributed to teacher candidates' anxiety, poor content and pedagogical preparation, and low science teaching…

The current study utilized a mixed methods approach to examine the science teaching efficacy beliefs (STEB) of preservice elementary teachers as they participated in a Science Methods course. The following questions were addressed using quantitative survey data and qualitative interviews: What are the STEB of preservice elementary teachers as they…

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of early childhood preservice teachers in a southeastern university as they worked for mastery of phonemic awareness, phonics, and morphemic awareness. Mastery was set at 90% accuracy in a series of tests, which required them to perform different tasks related to the said…