Matching Items (3)
Filtering by
- All Subjects: Professional Development
- Creators: Judson, Eugene
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
Description
To develop critical reasoning skills potentially advances students' ability to critically consume information, make informed decisions, and actively participate in a democracy. An inquiry-based pedagogical approach to science teaching remains an effective means to develop critical reasoning skills. Participating in scientific inquiry requires students to generate arguments and test alternative hypotheses using experimental evidence. Scientific inquiry demands that students use their critical reasoning skills. Unfortunately, many teachers fail to allocate an adequate amount of time for genuine experimentation in science classes. As a result, science classes often leave students unprepared to think critically and apply their knowledge in a practical manner.
The focus of this study was to investigate the extent to which an inquiry-based professional development experience, including a two-day summer workshop and 18 weeks of follow up Professional Learning Community (PLC) support, affected the attitudes and pedagogical skills regarding scientific inquiry among six high school biology teachers. A concurrent mixed methods, action research design was used to measure changes in teachers' attitudes, perceptions, and skills regarding inquiry-based pedagogy was measured throughout the 22 weeks of the study. A survey instrument, card sorting activity, classroom observations using the Reformed Teacher Observation Protocol (RTOP), individual interviews, and PLC observations were used to gather data. Results indicated the professional development was effective in transforming the participating teachers' attitudes, perceptions, and skills regarding inquiry-based pedagogy.
The focus of this study was to investigate the extent to which an inquiry-based professional development experience, including a two-day summer workshop and 18 weeks of follow up Professional Learning Community (PLC) support, affected the attitudes and pedagogical skills regarding scientific inquiry among six high school biology teachers. A concurrent mixed methods, action research design was used to measure changes in teachers' attitudes, perceptions, and skills regarding inquiry-based pedagogy was measured throughout the 22 weeks of the study. A survey instrument, card sorting activity, classroom observations using the Reformed Teacher Observation Protocol (RTOP), individual interviews, and PLC observations were used to gather data. Results indicated the professional development was effective in transforming the participating teachers' attitudes, perceptions, and skills regarding inquiry-based pedagogy.
ContributorsBlechacz, Sarah (Author) / Hermanns, Carl (Thesis advisor) / Judson, Eugene (Committee member) / Bostick, Bradley (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
The purpose of this quantitative action research study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an organization-wide book study in the K-12 environment. A growing charter school network was working towards an improved organizational culture to meet its mission. This study examined whether an organization-wide book study can make a difference in workplace belongingness, one of the core beliefs of the network. Bloom's Revised Taxonomy shaped the design of three distinct format options for the book study: facilitated, book club, and asynchronous. The study compared participants and non-participants in workplace belonging. Workplace belonging was measured using the Jena and Pradhan Workplace Belongingness Scale. Additionally, the study analyzed how the three different formats are more or less effective according to the Kirkpatrick Four-Level Model of Evaluation. The book study format effectiveness was measured using a modified version of the Lau, Henry, and Ebekozien training survey. Results were mixed. There was no significant difference found in workplace belonging among the three formats, and there was no significant difference found between the control group and experimental group. Significant difference was found in the facilitated format’s overviews and discussions when compared to the asynchronous group. Significant difference was also found in the book club’s discussions when compared to the asynchronous group.
ContributorsFowler, Betsy (Author) / Judson, Eugene (Thesis advisor) / Maddin, Brent (Committee member) / Assisi, Nicole (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
The problem of practice addressed in this mixed-methods research study is assessing whether participating in professional development workshops helped community college instructors improve their pedagogical practices, leading to improved student success and achievement rates. In this study, I explore the effects of an intervention I designed to help English 101 instructors teach a new, direct-placement composition class, which was created to comply with the mandates of AB-705, an educational reform bill in California. I used three guiding theories to undergird and evaluate the intervention: Darling-Hammond et al.'s Accountability Approach (2014), Freire's Critical Pedagogy (1970), and Kirkpatrick and Kayser-Kirkpatrick’s Model of Training Effectiveness (2009). To address the research questions of this study, I analyzed pre- and post-surveys, faculty interviews, and student success and retention data. The results from the data were mixed. While the quantitative survey data did not support the claim that the College of the Canyons (COC) SkillShare Workshops affected instructors’ attitudes about teaching and their teaching behaviors, the qualitative interview data showed that the workshops did improve instructors’ professional capacities and were a valuable professional development resource. Additionally, the quantitative institutional data demonstrated that workshop participation significantly increased instructors’ student success and retention rates.
ContributorsTerzian-Zeitounian, Alene (Author) / Judson, Eugene (Thesis advisor) / Ross, Lydia (Committee member) / Meuschke, Daylene (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022