Matching Items (3)
Filtering by
- All Subjects: Action Research
- Genre: Doctoral Dissertation
- Creators: Markos, Amy
Description
The purpose of this action research study was to improve the implementation of a large-scale redesign of teacher preparation programs at Arizona State University. This was a highly complex redesign that impacted over 150 courses across 27 programs, involving more than 200 faculty and 2,500 students annually. As a result, implementing the redesign posed significant challenges for supporting fidelity and agency across all faculty involved, including many part-time faculty and new hires with no prior knowledge of the redesigned program curricula. While this challenge was not unique, I approached it in a novel way in this action research study by creating course “fact sheets” that provided simple, visual representations of each course’s intended purpose within the program’s context to solve what was fundamentally an information transfer challenge. To study the effects of this intervention, I used a convergent mixed methods approach to address three guiding research questions aimed at exploring (1) how faculty used the course fact sheets, (2) how that use related to differences in outcomes related to implementation fidelity and sense of teaching agency, and (3) how those differences compared to an online orientation module as a more traditional form of professional development. Results showed that a majority of the 122 faculty members surveyed used the course fact sheets and, on average, found them highly usable for the purpose of gaining knowledge about their courses as part of the redesign. Furthermore, those who used course fact sheets had significant increases in their knowledge and confidence of implementation fidelity practices and significant increases in their sense of teaching agency. The results also showed more positive outcomes for those using the fact sheets than those who participated in an orientation module. However, interview results suggested that the fact sheets may not have been enough to address all the factors that influence faculty agency. Nevertheless, this study has important implications for faculty development initiatives in higher education, demonstrating the potential of course fact sheets as a scalable solution to improve the implementation of large-scale redesigns.
ContributorsThurber, Derek (Author) / Markos, Amy (Thesis advisor) / Ross, Lydia (Committee member) / Conley, Quincy (Committee member) / Wendt, Jill (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
This mixed methods action research study explores the impact of a multilevel intervention on retention indicators of special education induction teachers and the leadership capacities of the special education induction coaches and coordinator. The purpose of this investigation was to understand the impact of developing and implementing an action research study on three different levels of participants the special education induction coaches, teachers and me. A theoretical framework based upon Bandura's (1977, 1982) work in Social Learning Theory, and in self and collective efficacy informs this study. The conceptual framework developed based upon the tenets of Authentic Leadership Theory and special education mentor programs inform the development of the intervention and data collection tools. Quantitative data included results collected from the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ), Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ), and the Special Education Induction Teacher Questionnaire (SEITQ). The qualitative data included results collected from the SEITQ open-ended questions, Email Reflective Response (ERR), organic and structured focus groups, fieldnotes, and the Teachers' Final Letter. Findings include: a) I changed as a leader and a researcher, b) the special education induction coaches began to think and act as leaders, c) the special education induction teachers' retention indicators increased, d) by actively participating in the co-construction of the special education induction program, both the coaches and the teacher provided valuable insights as pertains to developing a program that supports special education induction teachers. Implications and next steps are discussed.
ContributorsImel, Breck (Author) / Wetzel, Keith (Thesis advisor) / Ewbank, Ann (Thesis advisor) / Davidson, Carter (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
One of the primary aims of this action research study was to understand what happens when engineering faculty, staff, and faculty mentors engage in a professional development opportunity focused on improving instructional practices and faculty-student interactions. Since action research is aimed at using innovation to engage with a local problem of practice, for this research a Teaching Community of Practice Virtual Book Study (TCPVBS) innovation was designed, implemented, and studied. This study utilized a qualitatively driven Mixed Methods Action Research (MMAR) approach. Using Communities of Practice and Expectancy Value Theory as the primary guiding theoretical frameworks, the TCPVBS innovation was designed to prioritize a learner-centered approach, fostering collaborative knowledge construction among participants on book study topics through learning materials designed to promote an inclusive lens. Participants in the study included faculty, faculty mentors, and staff at Southwest University, primarily in the College of Engineering. Data was collected in the form of pre- and post-surveys, meeting artifacts, a focus group, semi-structured individual interviews, and reflection journals. A thematic analysis was conducted using codebooks. The study concluded that a faculty book study was a valuable learning opportunity for teaching professional development. Further research is needed to understand how instructional practices and student outcomes are impacted by the TCPVBS innovation. Implications for future research related to engineering faculty culture and embedding an inclusive lens are presented and discussed.
ContributorsPeña, Kristen (Author) / Markos, Amy (Thesis advisor) / Mayled, Lindy (Committee member) / Ganesh, Tirupalavanam G. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023