Matching Items (3)
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- All Subjects: pedagogy
- Creators: Henriksen, Danah
Description
New teachers quit the profession at high levels, particularly in rural and urban schools. These high rates of turnover create staffing issues, particularly in high-needs areas like math and special education. High levels of stress and dissatisfaction with the profession have been cited as common reasons teachers exit the profession within the first few years. However, positive interventions from the field of positive psychology as well as mindfulness have been used in the workplace and have been found to support increasing wellbeing as well as reducing stress. This study defines workplace wellbeing as a construct of positive emotions, engagement, positive relationships, meaning/purpose, achievement and health within the workplace. In this mixed methods quasi-experimental study, 26 new teachers within a large suburban schools were sorted into experimental (n=13) and a control (n=13) groups. The experimental group was provided with a mindfulness training (in-person or virtually) as well as was asked to journal twice a week about three things that went well during the week, why those things went well, and what impact that had on students. The experimental group was invited to share their journals with their Teacher Induction and Support Program (TISP) coach in-person during their weekly confidential meetings. The control group was asked to write down any three things that occurred over the week (positive, negative, or neutral) and was also invited to share this with their TISP coach. Participants completed journals for the months of November, December, and January. All participants took a workplace wellbeing survey (developed by Peggy Kern and used with permission of Dr. Kern) at October, December, March and June. Additionally, five participants from the control group and five participants from the control group were interviewed about their experiences as new teachers and their experiences using the interventions. Participants in the control group experienced decreases in their workplace wellbeing throughout the year whereas participants in the control group experiences steady or increases to their workplace wellbeing, particularly in the areas of positive emotions, relationships, meaning, and self-efficacy. Participants in the experimental group also reported mindfulness practices increased their confidence and promoted positive emotional regulation that supported a positive classroom, despite challenging student behaviors. While this study uses a small sample size, these findings were confirmed in qualitative data, quantitative data, and are consistent with findings in related literature. While the findings are consistent with findings in related studies utilizing positive interventions and mindfulness within the workplace, these findings run counter to studies on the emotional experiences of teachers which assert that teacher’s (particularly new teachers) experience high levels of negative emotions and stress, particularly during the middle of the year. The findings from this dissertation suggest positive interventions and mindfulness may bolster new teacher’s workplace wellbeing and self-efficacy during the first year.
ContributorsHallquist, Rachel Anne (Author) / Henriksen, Danah (Thesis advisor) / Frias, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Zollinger, Rona (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
A sequential mixed-methods action research study was undertaken with a group of 10th-grade students enrolled in a required English course at an independent secondary school. The purpose of the study was to investigate students' negotiation of agentic writer identity in a course that featured a three-strand intervention: (a) a high degree of student choice; (b) ongoing written self-reflection; and (c) ongoing instruction in mindset. The researcher drew on self-determination theory and identity theory to operationalize agentic writer identity around three constructs—behaviors, identity, and belief. A questionnaire was used to identify an array of cases that would illustrate a range of experiences around agentic writer identity. Questionnaire data were analyzed to identify a sample from which to collect qualitative data and to identify prominent central relations among the three constructs, which were further explored in the second stage through the qualitative data. Qualitative data were gathered from a primary group of six students in the form of student journals and interviews around the central constructs of writing belief, writing behavior, and writer identity. Using a snowballing sampling method, four students were added to the sample group to form a second tier of data. The corpus of qualitative data from all 10 students was coded and analyzed using the technique of re-storying to produce a narrative interpretation, in the style of the Norse saga, of students' engagement in agentic writing behaviors, espousal of agentic writing beliefs, and construction of agentic writer identities. A defense of the chosen narrative approach and genre was provided. Interpretation of the re-storied data was provided, including discussion of interaction among themes that emerged from the data and the re-storying process. Emergent themes and phenomena from the re-storied data were realigned with the quantitative data as well as with the constructs that informed the survey design and sampling. Implications for classroom teachers, as well as suggestions for further research, were suggested.
ContributorsAvery, Andrea, 1977- (Author) / Buss, Ray (Thesis advisor) / Carlson, David L. (Committee member) / Henriksen, Danah (Committee member) / Rende, Richard (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
To address national technology standards for PK-12 educators and accreditation requirements, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College has developed an approach to preparing its teacher candidates by infusing technological learning experiences in its preparation programs. Faculty members have been expected to teach with technology, model various levels of technology integration, and provide their students with appropriate learning to develop their digital pedagogy skills. Part-time faculty members have been responsible for teaching courses with these requirements but often lacked access to professional development opportunities and support. The lead technology strategist in the college determined these part-time instructors needed improved strategies for knowledge development, support, and networking. Thus, an online community of practice was created as a potential solution to this problem of practice. This mixed methods study examined how part-time instructors participated in an online community of practice (OCoP) housed in two digital platforms, Canvas and Slack. Elements of the OCoP included learning sessions and resources based upon the Teacher Educator Technology Competencies (TETCs), the Technological Pedagogical Content (TPACK) framework, and elements integral to communities of practice. The investigation included measuring the influence of the OCoP on participants’ technology knowledge, technology skills, technology use, and technological self-efficacy. Participants were part-time faculty members responsible for teaching courses in various teacher preparation programs in the college. Data from the study included survey data, Canvas and Slack analytics describing use, lesson analyses and observational notes, and interviews. Results suggested the OCoP was an effective intervention for the purpose of providing digital connections for part-time faculty to develop professionally with respect to teaching with technology. Participants displayed an increase in TPACK, TETC, and self-efficacy construct scores and demonstrated development in technology knowledge, technology skills, technology use, and technological self-efficacy. The discussion focused on describing the complementarity of the quantitative and qualitative data, explaining the findings in relation to the literature, and presenting limitations, implications for practice and research, lessons learned, and conclusions.
ContributorsDonner, Jodie (Author) / Buss, Ray R (Thesis advisor) / Henriksen, Danah (Committee member) / Lindsey, LeeAnn (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021