Freshman orientation programs are essential in facilitating the successful transition of high school students to college. At Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), these programs have become essential for supporting and advising students as they begin their academic journey. However, the extent to which faculty members of freshman…

This qualitative study adds to the growing body of research on teacher residency programs through exploration of a small university's graduate teacher residency program for urban special education teachers. The author investigated the program over a four-year period to determine if it was meeting its espoused goals and to understand how the…

In this paper I outline the most relevant traits of the term "trust" understood as one of the synonyms for "certainty" that Ludwig Wittgenstein used in his posthumous work "On Certainty." To this end, I analyze the paragraphs of "On Certainty" in which reference is made to pupils who are expected to trust…

Participating in professional learning and seeking professional growth opportunities are characteristics of effective teachers (Guskey, 2000; Polk, 2006). This study investigated how a teacher evaluation system can promote and encourage the professional growth of teachers. Specifically, the study sought to provide a better understanding of how…

The concept of growth mindset--an individual's beliefs that basic characteristics such as intelligence are malleable--has gained immense popularity in research, the media, and educational practice. Even though it is assumed that teachers need a growth mindset and that both teachers and their students benefit when teachers adopt a growth mindset,…

Student learning outcomes have been used to measure a teacher's accountability for student learning in the evaluation of teacher effectiveness. This study employed a survey research design and investigated the views of teachers and administrators regarding using student learning objectives (SLOs) and classroom observations in the evaluation of…

In this study we explore the longitudinal impact of effective school factors on student achievement over a five-year period in an urban school district. By collecting teacher survey data from urban schools in a Midwest school district and analyzing the survey data alongside student achievement, we identified several factors associated with student…

The dichotomy of 'autonomous men' and 'relational women' is a long-lived social construction that is often taken for a fact. It is also suggested to relate to the reproduction of gender inequality in academia. Through the lens of dialogical self-theory, and based on our narrative data, we show that subtle gender inequality causes tension in the…

Since the 1960s, business leaders and educators used the idea of "goal setting theory" as a guide to success. Teachers who implemented goal setting strategies contributed to student success and achievement. During my study, I found little existing literature focused on academic goal setting implementation for students in Tennessee rural…

This study explored teachers' perceptions of their experiences participating in self-directed learning (Knowles, 1970, 1975). The teacher participants (n = 127) were guided through a self-directed learning framework for professional learning and reflected on their experiences. Findings indicate teachers reporting increased autonomy and…

Engaging in learning with colleagues is paramount for teachers to enhance students' learning. To be effective and sustainable, it requires engagement both by individual teachers as well as whole teams. Surprisingly however, research examining learning activity as a characteristic of individuals "in" teams and a property "of"…

The enactment of a large-scale, long-term professional development initiative designed to enhance participants' knowledge base by influencing their identity trajectories as mathematics instructors is complex. Effectively influencing participants' trajectories could be enhanced by understanding the nature of participants' goal structures,…

Non-formal science education provides an ever-growing network of different educational opportunities that makes it a valuable instrument to increase scientific education quality and to promote scientific literacy among students. This study analysed teachers' conceptions about the goals they set prior to participating in a crystal-growing…

A large number of trained Young Learners of English (YLE) teachers leave the language academies soon after being employed. These teachers usually suffer from high levels of stress and anxiety during their career which might lead to burnout. Considering the impact of vision in motivating teachers, this research was designed to study the development…

New-to-profession elementary teachers in a large school district may not have the support they need to help them feel proficient and successful in their role. This narrative inquiry qualitative study involved exploring the perceptions of new-to-profession elementary teachers and their mentors of the mentoring program in place in a large school…