Matching Items (86)
Description
This action research study explored the effects of implementing a professional learning community (PLC) as part of an eighth-grade advisory program on teacher confidence and attitudes toward social emotional learning (SEL) and perceptions of school climate. The two-semester long study was implemented in a K-12 private independent school. Using a mixed-methods research design, this study answered the following three research questions: 1) How does participation in a PLC to develop teacher social emotional competence (SEC) and curriculum for an eighth-grade advisory program focused on SEL affect teachers’ confidence in advisory and SEL? 2) How does participation in the PLC affect teachers’ attitude toward advisory and SEL? 3) What affordances and constraints are experienced by teachers participating in the PLC during remote learning? Likert scale surveys were administered at the start and conclusion of the intervention. The surveys measured teachers’ confidence in and attitude toward advisory, how well advisory supported remote learning, and perceptions of administrative support for the program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at the midpoint and conclusion of the intervention. The interviews assessed perceptions of the advisory curriculum, teachers’ confidence and attitudes toward advisory, and affordances and constraints of the PLC. Study findings indicated three key results. Participation in the PLC (a) promoted teacher competence and commitment toward SEL, (b) increased SEL professionalism, and (c) increased camaraderie among advisory teachers as they evaluated the affordances and constraints of remotely teaching SEL. PLC participants demonstrated a more nuanced assessment of advisory curriculum and how to implement SEL content, and an increased commitment to continued professional growth. The PLC also fostered teachers’ sense of connection with colleagues. This study contributed to existing research on professional development for SEL and its effects on teacher efficacy and school climate, including satisfaction as an SEL teacher. In relation to practice, suggestions for middle school SEL interventions include the incorporation of collective learning for teachers as well as distributed leadership to promote teacher efficacy and commitment to SEL. Future research should focus on measuring the effects of teachers’ collective learning and distributed leadership on school climate outcomes for students.
ContributorsStrong, Melissa Marie (Author) / Kurz, Terri L. (Thesis advisor) / Buss, Ray (Committee member) / Herkstroeter, Kristin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Schools are in place to provide for the education of students across the nation. In trying to ensure all students have equal opportunities, both state and federal government have instituted policies which direct and influence what and how the curriculum is taught across the nation. Teachers are compliant in following these guidelines, as district adopted curriculum aligns with accountability measures. However, when teachers are encouraged to innovate instructional practices specific to the needs of their students, success follows. Further, when processes are in place to allow teachers to innovate collaboratively, collective teacher efficacy is enhanced. Research shows that collective teacher efficacy is a top indicator of student achievement. The purpose of this mixed methods action research study was to identify if teacher-initiated innovations, enacted through collaborative inquiry cycles, would increase teachers’ self- and collective efficacy and how the sources of efficacy may have contributed. While quantitative data did not show statistical significance, aggregated qualitative data indicated otherwise. Through the process of using collaborative inquiry cycles, teachers were more intentional with their instruction, were positively influenced and impacted by their peers, and they felt successful. These are behaviors that lead to higher levels of collective efficacy.
ContributorsChristy, Jacquelyn (Author) / Marsh, Josephine (Thesis advisor) / Loescher, Shawn (Committee member) / Hoogsteen, T.J. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
This action research project focused on teacher retention in Adult Education programs. The study was centered on new teachers in Adult Education, as defined as having less than three years of experience teaching in the field of Adult Education. The study concentrated on growing new teachers’ senses of belonging, self-efficacy, and new teachers’ intent to return through the implementation of Talking Circles. There were four participants in this study from a local community college. They participated in four Talking Circles over a two-month period. Data collection included pre-and post-surveys, Talking Circle data, and qualitative interviews. Overall results indicate that Talking Circles were successful in fostering belonging among participants and growing self-efficacy. However, participating in Talking Circles did not impact their intent to return the following year. The data shows that income and benefits are the main factors in deciding to return. Qualitative interview data also revealed that part-time teachers feel isolation in their roles and that participants enjoyed using Talking Circles as a communication strategy. Implications for leaders are to create belonging for part-time teachers and work to meet new teacher needs, especially in the areas of professional development and curriculum and resources.
ContributorsNiu, Emily (Author) / Baker, Dale (Thesis advisor) / Wolf, Leigh (Committee member) / Cardenas, Jenni (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Increasing Teacher Self-Efficacy in Establishing and Maintaining High-Quality Preschool Environments
Description
High-quality learning environments are critical to support students’ learning and development. This study supported eight lead teachers of Starting Strong classrooms in four different early learning programs to try to improve teachers’ knowledge, self-efficacy, and use of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) within their classrooms. Four Starting Strong supports were evaluated during this research, including an asynchronous video series, coaching with use of the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Report, and Community of Practice (CoP) meetings. The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales, Third Edition (ECERS-3) was used to measure the overall quality of preschool classrooms before and after the intervention. Pre- and post-intervention surveys were also conducted to measure participants' knowledge and self-efficacy. While there was no change in participant knowledge of DAP or self-efficacy, there was significant improvement in the ECERS-3 scores from the Spring to the Fall assessment. All participants reported the four Starting Strong supports as being very useful and offered suggestions for improvements, explicitly suggesting consistency and shared learning experiences. Collectively, the Starting Strong supports helped the teachers apply their knowledge of developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood education in establishing quality preschool environments.
ContributorsBixel, Janessa Marie (Author) / Rotheram-Fuller, Erin (Thesis advisor) / Boozer, April (Committee member) / Cutler, Kay (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The current model of teaching where one teacher works individually with a group of learners in a classroom in an alternative educational setting promoted unrealistic expectations by assuming individual teachers working alone could meet the needs of all students. To address this problem, I conducted an action research study in which I explored the outcomes of a team-based teaching approach that was implemented to make the dramatic shift away from a traditional, industrial-like, one-teacher, one-classroom model that existed in the school. In the intervention, a teams-based approach was implemented where teachers worked in teams of four to collaborate on professional learning, determine students’ needs, then plan and implement instruction for the same, group of students. A sample of nine educators at Riverview High School completed the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES) and the Professional Learning and Teacher Attitude (PLTA) survey to assess self-efficacy for instruction, classroom management, and student engagement, and professional learning and attitudes in a team-based setting. Qualitative data consisted of interview data and data from four focus groups. Findings indicated teachers using the team-based model demonstrated increases in mean scores across the five constructs. Additionally, analysis of the interview and focus group data revealed four themes emerged, including a new school culture, meaningful professional learning, collegiality through collaboration, and increased professional attitudes. The discussion focused on complementarity of the quantitative and qualitative data and how use of the team-based model transformed how education was conceived and delivered at an alternative school for at-risk students. In addition, I described limitations, implications for practice and research, and concluding thoughts.
ContributorsMendez, Gregory (Author) / Buss, Ray (Thesis advisor) / Basile, Carole (Committee member) / Oliver, Michael (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The quality of support provided to students in higher education can have a powerful impact on the student’s experience, their perceptions of challenges, and their overall academic success, particularly retaining in and completing their degree. Though many universities create robust services to support undergraduate students, existing literature and efforts by universities may be lacking when it comes to doctoral student support. The purpose of this action research, mixed methods study was to evaluate academic support to first year doctoral students in the School of Life Sciences (SOLS) at Arizona State University, specifically addressing the following concepts related to their doctoral study: development of self-efficacy, awareness of requirements and policies, and sense of belonging. With Communities of Practice and self-efficacy theory providing a framework for this study, first year doctoral students in SOLS were invited to participate in a twelve-week, two-condition study during their first semester. The two-condition study involved a Personal Support and a Social Support condition, wherein Personal Support participants (n=8) received 1:1 academic advising and biweekly newsletters, while Social Support participants (n=14) engaged in biweekly advising sessions within groups of 3-6 students and an academic advisor. Results suggest Social Support significantly impacted SOLS doctoral student self-efficacy scores (z = -1.96, p = .05), it created an avenue for students to cultivate community with doctoral student peers thus benefiting sense of belonging, and collaborating with peers influenced awareness to the point of Social Support participants becoming a resource for other students not participating in the study. In contrast, Personal Support appeared to have less of an impact on self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and awareness. For students with vulnerable needs to disclose, Personal Support has the potential to reinforce self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and awareness, but the impacts are nominal otherwise. Furthermore, by the end of their first academic year Social Support participants had retained their self-efficacy and sense of belonging scores. Ultimately, the findings suggest the need for reevaluating how doctoral students are supported in and outside SOLS, with a specific discussion about incorporating Social Support as a permanent model for academic support.
ContributorsFranse, Kylie Rae (Author) / Wylie, Ruth (Thesis advisor) / Vogel, Joanne (Thesis advisor) / Farmer-Thompson, Antoinette (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The primary goal for this study is to assess and develop an understanding of the effects of Assisted Cycling Therapy (ACT) on self-efficacy and exercise perception of children with Down syndrome (DS). ACT is a stationary bicycle that has a mechanical motor that moves the pedals 35% faster than their self-selected rate. This intervention continued for 30 minutes 2x/week for 8 weeks. A total of seven participants were assessed through the study, however, due to a variety of limitations only two participants completed pre and post testing questionnaires. Our results showed that self-efficacy improved following ACT. Both participants experiences improvement in their total self-efficacy score. However, only one participant showed improvement in exercise perception following the intervention. Interpretations of our results are analyzed in consideration with behavioral limitations that may be present within children with DS. Additionally, these results provided guidance for future research. These include alterations to the intervention time period, as well as the sample size of the study.
ContributorsJaslow, Jordan (Author) / Ringenbach, Shannon (Thesis director) / Yudell, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
This study applied the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to explore the sources of self-efficacy and professional development activities that are most predictive of PreK-6 music teachers’ efficacious beliefs. This study also compared teacher efficacy levels across different groups. The target population for this study was PreK-6 music teachers in the state of Arizona. The survey was disseminated through the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the Arizona chapters of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA), the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE), and snowball sampling via a Facebook message. Of the 660 teachers invited to participate, 92 (13.94%) voluntarily completed the survey. Results from simultaneous multiple regression analyses indicated that teacher efficacy for instructional strategies was best predicted by their mastery experience, followed by vicarious experience, while mastery experience was the strongest predictor of teacher efficacy for student engagement. Additionally, the acquisition of method certification and watching teaching resources via YouTube were significant predictors of teacher efficacy for instructional strategies, while observation hours per year was the only predictor of teacher efficacy for student engagement. Results from factorial between-subjects ANOVAs indicated that teaching experience had a significant main effect on teacher efficacy for instructional strategies and student engagement. However, neither main teaching areas nor the combined effects of main teaching areas and teaching experience had a significant effect on teacher efficacy for instructional strategies and student engagement. Results from independent-samples t-test analyses showed that school types had a significant effect on teacher efficacy for student engagement, while no differences were found between school types regarding teacher efficacy for instructional strategies. The analysis of open-ended comments identified themes related to factors that strengthen or weaken participant teacher efficacy, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teacher efficacy, the types of professional development activities that they engaged during the year, the most effective professional development activities for enhancing teacher efficacy. Findings of this study have theoretical and practical implications for school principals, school administrators, policy makers, music teacher educators, and music teachers to promote and support music teachers’ self-efficacy.
ContributorsCha, Dong-Ju (Author) / Amrein-Beardsley, Audrey (Thesis advisor) / Stauffer, Sandra (Thesis advisor) / Fiorentino, Matthew (Committee member) / Schmidt, Margaret (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Perceived social support, broadly defined as resources or assistance provided by another person, has been consistently identified as a predictor of health and well-being. These outcomes may be partially explained by direct physiological effects, or the effects of perceived social support on psychological mechanisms that influence engagement in health behaviors, though what exactly these mechanisms are remains unclear. Previous work has proposed that through enhanced self-efficacy and self-esteem, perceived social support increases engagement in health behaviors, though direct evidence for this relationship is limited. Attachment, which plays a crucial role in healthy romantic relationships, may relate to social support’s influence on behavioral outcomes. This study utilized a novel social support priming task to examine if attachment-related working models of romantic partners mediate the relationships among different forms of social support, self-efficacy, and self-esteem in predicting behavioral intentions for self-nominated health goals. Broadly, primed social support positively predicted how supported individuals felt, which in turn predicted working models of their romantic partners. Working models significantly predicted self-esteem, self-efficacy, and intentions to work toward a personally relevant health goal. Self-esteem and self-efficacy also predicted behavioral intentions.
ContributorsVornlocher, Carley (Author) / Shiota, Michelle N (Thesis advisor) / Kwan, Virginia Sy (Committee member) / Ha, Thao (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
This research aimed to analyze and ultimately understand the relationship between the four dimensions of the Technology Readiness Index (TRI) 2.0 (optimism, innovation, discomfort, and insecurity) when compared to self-efficacy and learning. The experiment design was a one-group pretest-posttest where a participant’s TRI 2.0 acted as a subject variable. This information was then correlated to changes in self-efficacy and content mastery (learning) from pre-/post-test scores pertaining to Google Sheets functions for introductory statistics. In-between the pre- and post-tests, a learning activity was presented which asked participants to analyze quantitative statistics using Google Sheets. Findings of this research demonstrated a statistically insignificant relationship between technology readiness and self-efficacy or learning. Alternatively, significance was observed in changes from pre- to post-test scores for both learning and self-efficacy where a relationship was found between the degree to which participants’ content mastery and self-efficacy change before and after a computer-supported learning activity is assigned. These findings directly contribute to current understanding of how and why individuals can effectively learn and perform in computer-supported learning environments.
ContributorsCervantes Villa, Sabrina Marie (Author) / Craig, Scotty D. (Thesis advisor) / Donner, Jodie (Committee member) / Roscoe, Rod (Committee member) / Wylie, Ruth (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022