Research states that elementary educators do not possess the adequate pedagogical content knowledge necessary to teach science effectively (Baumgartner, 2010; Lewis, 2017) The purpose of this mixed method study that took place at a public land-grant university in a large metropolitan city in the southern area of the United States was to gather the…

Definitions of effective teaching focus on three primary areas: performances, essential knowledge, and critical dispositions. While no one measure provides a complete picture of teacher effectiveness, empirical inquiry into critical dispositions lags behind what is known about essential knowledge and performances. We found this underdevelopment…

Despite the critical role of mentors in the preparation of preservice teachers, very little causal quantitative research has explored the effects of offering mentors professional development (PD) around how to coach and support their candidates. We conduct an experimental evaluation of a PD opportunity randomly offered to mentors within six…

Despite the critical role of mentors in the preparation of preservice teachers, very little causal quantitative research has explored the effects of offering mentors professional development (PD) around how to coach and support their candidates. We conduct an experimental evaluation of a PD opportunity randomly offered to mentors within six…

The aim of this study was to explore the extent to which teachers received the education or training that prepared them to teach social studies content knowledge, social studies critical thinking skills, and their overall preparation to become highly qualified teachers. The participants in the study were active social studies teachers in Tennessee…

Rural, economically disadvantaged students in Southern Appalachia experienced numerous situations that could negatively affect them socially, emotionally, behaviorally, and academically. Educators who routinely worked with rural, economically disadvantaged students should understand the difficulties these students experienced, as well as employ…

In January 2019, teacher candidates in the state of Tennessee were required to pass the edTPA to gain a teaching license. Over the last several years, edTPA has increasingly become the standard by which many states assess teacher preparedness. The rapid adoption of edTPA nationwide has created a debate as to whether or not it adequately prepares…

This study compared the perceptions of 1,121 inservice teachers and 245 preservice teachers in Kentucky and Tennessee to determine the difference in their support for the use of mobile phones in the classroom, as well as their perceptions of the mobile phone features that are useful for school-related work and the instructional barriers to mobile…

More than 50% of novice educators leave the profession in the first 5 years of service. Novice educators were defined as educators with 5 or fewer years of teaching experience. The State of Tennessee has estimated the cost for that decision to around $28,000.00 per teacher for each local educational authority. Many researchers believe mentoring…

University-based teacher-education programmes in the USA confront mounting pressure to demonstrate that graduates will have a significant and positive impact on student achievement. Such pressure has forced teacher educators to wrestle with the question of what constitutes compelling evidence that teacher candidates will indeed have such an…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of pre-service teachers' participation in a constructivist intervention supported by technology on their confidence in their own ability to plan and create six technology-supported, constructivist, learning activities, as well as to understand their perceptions of the experience. Participants…

A total of 100 teachers from a large metropolitan school district, a small city school system, and a rural school system in Tennessee responded to a survey about elementary school level career patterns. Survey questions focused on teacher background, attitudes and expectations about teaching, and future career plans in teaching. Results indicated…

This paper describes the Beginning Teacher Survey Study's rationale, design, theoretical framework, research questions, and findings. The study was designed to: develop a survey that would gather information from beginning teachers about their preservice and induction learning experiences; develop theoretically and empirically based constructs of…

A survey of 62 early childhood educators in North Carolina and Tennessee found that respondents had frequent and significant concerns about their knowledge and utilization of assistive technology. Training areas were identified that address the concerns and barriers regarding assistive technology. Implications for preservice and inservice training…

This document represents a sample collection of master's theses from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's Teacher Education Program, spring semester, 2005. The majority of these student researchers were simultaneously student teaching while writing their theses. Studies were empirical and conceptual in nature and demonstrate some ways in…