There is a problem in the state of Michigan's evaluation system regarding the training received by those conducting classroom teacher observations. A performance gap between teachers and students and provides training solutions for classroom observers was identified. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of…

The purpose of this mixed-method study is to examine if teachers are receiving effective feedback from their administrators and what school leaders can do to improve the feedback and coaching they provide. The conceptual framework that supports this study is based upon the research by Romano (2014), Ficke (2020), Tuma et al. (2018), and Nasatir…

The purpose of this exploratory descriptive research was to examine what Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) certified Montessori teachers (MTs) for students ages 3-6 years in the United States reported regarding scientific observation (SO) as a disposition and as a disposition in action (DIA) to better understand MTs' application of…

This dissertation address two significant challenges in the causal inference workflow for Big Observational Data. The first is designing Big Observational Data with high-dimensional and heterogeneous covariates. The second is performing uncertainty quantification for estimates of causal estimands that are obtained from the application of black box…

Foundations of statistics research aims to establish fundamental principles guiding inference about populations under uncertainty. It is concerned with the process of learning from observations, notions of uncertainty and induction, and satisfying inferential objectives. The growing interest in predictive methods in high-stakes fields like…

Given the inclusion of sensory reactivity as a diagnostic criterion for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the theorized etiological role of sensory reactivity in the development of autism, adequate sensory measures of sensory reactivity in autism, including measures extending to use in infancy, are needed. Adequate sensory measurement relies on…

In the United States, educators are tasked with responding to the increased needs of diverse K-12 students in mainstream classrooms through co-teaching roles that require collaborative partnerships. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to understand how students in teacher preparation programs within the United States describe the…

The researcher sought to understand how the complexities and challenges of offering high-quality professional development district-wide impacted teachers' ability to implement their new learning. The literature posits that to be considered effective, professional development must include six distinct design elements: (1) Is data driven, (2)…

Teacher self-efficacy refers to a belief that educators have the capability to impact student outcomes. This paper explores the relationship between peer observation with feedback and its potential impact on building teacher self- efficacy. Due to the effect on students, building teacher self-efficacy needs to take priority for all educators.…

Classroom walkthroughs are the consistent and systematic observation of instruction in the classroom, and despite research indicating classroom walkthroughs drive student achievement and promote learning, high school principals fail to implement effective classroom walkthroughs on a consistent basis, resulting in teachers not receiving enough…

Prior research on new teacher mentoring has focused on reducing teacher attrition rates. However, studies have yet to explore the descriptions of early-career special education teachers in a formal mentoring program. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how early-career special education teachers, located in one school…

This study was prompted by a desire to understand the relationship between reflective practice using classroom instructional video observations and teacher perception of effectiveness. This was a mixed methods study in which quantitative data were collected from a pre- and post-survey using a Likert scale and qualitative data from weekly pre- and…

Research suggests that support offered by an instructor can have a significant impact on the student experience, both in terms of classroom performance and affective well-being. Research also suggests?that there are different types of support that instructors can offer (e.g., emotional support, instrumental support, informational support, and…

This study was conducted to determine if there were significant differences between the self-efficacy and responsibility beliefs among those who had received instructional coaching and those who had not. This mixed-methods study used the Teacher Responsibility Scale (TRS) to measure both self-efficacy and responsibility beliefs as well as…

Being a graduate student while becoming a teaching assistant (TA) is fraught with struggles of knowledge and identity. While the field of rhetoric and composition has long theorized the needs of undergraduate students in first year writing (FYW) classes, it has only recently begun to theorize the needs of the TAs who teach a majority of the FYW…