This qualitative study, utilizing Expectancy Value Theory (EVT) as a guiding framework, delves into the motivations and preferences of alternatively certified School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE) teachers in Ohio regarding their engagement with Teacher Professional Development (TPD). Through individual interviews with 10 alternatively…

The purpose of this dissertation is to better understand the formative import of the relationships between adults and the young in their corresponding roles as teachers and students between the first year of kindergarten and the last grade of high school (K-12 education). My approach to this issue is twofold: First, I argue that it is imperative…

Teacher effectiveness is recognized as the most prominent in-school influencer of student learning, and professional development (PD) of in-service educators is seen as vital to improving teachers' effectiveness throughout their careers. Professional development is often studied atheoretically and with a linear view in which PD providers deliver…

Workforce development is one of the top issues for state higher education executives today. Employers are actively looking for ways to address skill gaps and labor shortages in their companies. To address these talent gaps, states are aligning their academic program approval process with state workforce needs. Minimal research has explored the…

The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive, single-case study was to explore educators' perceptions and uses of strategies to support 5th-grade middle school students' basic psychological needs for relatedness in the Southeastern region of the United States, because it was not known how educators perceived and used strategies to support…

The purpose of this action research was to investigate social and emotional learning kernels/strategies that can be implemented by teachers at a U.S. elementary school to support students' social and emotional skills (SES) development. The implementation of school-wide social and emotional programs have demonstrated positive benefits for students.…

This qualitative study sought to understand the lived experiences of middle school teachers in a public middle school and their perspectives on social-emotional learning within their classrooms. Teacher perspectives are rarely accounted for when districts discuss and use social-emotional learning practices. Most research is focused on student…

This qualitative case study explored the perspectives of teachers towards their professional development (PD) in a school with a high population of low-income students. The study focus was driven by critical theory with a unique application of attribution theory as a part of the data analysis. This moved the data analysis beyond simply a…

The 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic created a crisis that tested teacher leaders, building leaders, and school culture in ways that will take years to analyze. In this qualitative focus group study, teachers working in Kansas throughout the pandemic shared their perspectives on leadership development. The teachers reported taking on roles and…

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the decision-making process of a group of core elementary teachers in Illinois Metro East districts around attending professional development. 10 teachers from two Metro East districts were interviewed about their motivations, choices, and factors when considering what professional development to…

African American students are underrepresented in gifted programs in American public schools. This is due in part to the teachers' role in the gifted identification process. Classroom teachers are asked to refer students for evaluation for gifted services. To effectively do this, teachers must understand the unique challenges faced by gifted…

To meet the demand for STEM-literate workers, elementary and secondary schools are integrating STEM curriculum and pedagogy into their daily routines. According to the National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council (2014), STEM literacy entails understanding the roles of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in modern…

The purpose of this study was to engage veteran mentor teachers in a professional development experience through the use of stimulated video recall (SVR) sessions to explore and enhance mentor teacher learning processes and outcomes during a student teaching practicum in an elementary school context. The concept of "mentors as learners"…

This dissertation of practice considers the dynamics of identity development of in-service educators and the intersection of their educator role with their other identities in service of orienting toward an anti-racist praxis. The problem of practice addressed centered the theory that educator identity is socially constructed, and identity may…

This dissertation explores the role that shame plays in schools in the United States, both historically and today. Through utilizing the Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN) arts-based inquiry method, I consider my own encounters with shame both as a student and teacher, and position these stories as a jumping-off point to further investigate the…