Matching Items (5)
Filtering by
- All Subjects: Communities of practice
- Genre: Doctoral Dissertation
- Creators: Buss, Ray
- Creators: Austin, Heather
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
- Status: Published
Description
The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the community of practice model in providing professional development to improve K-12 teacher’s knowledge, skills, self-efficacy with regard to the implementation of personal learning. The study also examined the extent to which the community created value for individuals and the organization. The study employed two theoretical frameworks: Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy and Wenger’s communities of practice.
The study employed a concurrent mixed methods approach. Eighteen teachers participated in a 9-month blended learning professional development focused on the implementation of personal learning. Participants took pre and post self-efficacy tests. In addition, qualitative data was collected from feedback surveys, online postings, a research journal, and individual interviews.
The teachers demonstrated greater levels of self-efficacy with regard to the implementation of personal learning after their participation in the professional development community. Teachers reported increased confidence with regard to personal learning in the areas of planning, risk-taking, implementation, making modifications for continuous improvement, and sharing their knowledge with others. The teachers also reported learning about themselves, their students and colleagues, as well as gaining knowledge of content related to teaching, and personal learning. Participants reported the development of a variety of skills including design and problem-solving skills, technology skills, and facilitation and PL strategies. They also reported changes in certain dispositions such as flexibility and open-mindedness. The community created value for both the individuals and the organization.
The study employed a concurrent mixed methods approach. Eighteen teachers participated in a 9-month blended learning professional development focused on the implementation of personal learning. Participants took pre and post self-efficacy tests. In addition, qualitative data was collected from feedback surveys, online postings, a research journal, and individual interviews.
The teachers demonstrated greater levels of self-efficacy with regard to the implementation of personal learning after their participation in the professional development community. Teachers reported increased confidence with regard to personal learning in the areas of planning, risk-taking, implementation, making modifications for continuous improvement, and sharing their knowledge with others. The teachers also reported learning about themselves, their students and colleagues, as well as gaining knowledge of content related to teaching, and personal learning. Participants reported the development of a variety of skills including design and problem-solving skills, technology skills, and facilitation and PL strategies. They also reported changes in certain dispositions such as flexibility and open-mindedness. The community created value for both the individuals and the organization.
ContributorsAzukas, M. Elizabeth (Author) / Dorm, Sherman (Thesis advisor) / Henriksen, Danah (Committee member) / Austin, Heather (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
The National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP) was established to promote the community college role in the recruitment, preparation, retention, and renewal of teachers. NACCTEP is led by a 13-member executive board consisting of community college teacher education administrators and faculty members from across the United States. Board members expressed concern that their first year consisted of them trying to learn their role as a board member including how to participate in board activities. By the time they became fully knowledgeable about their role and became more active participants, their two-year term was completed. They also indicated that initially they felt disconnected from veteran board members. To address this issue, an orientation/leadership suite was developed for new board members to assist them in transitioning from peripheral roles to full active roles. The suite included activities such as an association orientation web page, participation in monthly board conference calls, a face-to-face leadership session, and mentoring by veteran board members. The communities of practice (CoP) framework shaped this action research study and the activities of the suite were designed to foster a CoP. This action research study utilized a mixed-method research approach in which both qualitative and quantitative instruments were used to gather data. The descriptive statistics indicated that on average, new board members perceived mentoring was effective, understood their role on the board, experienced a sense of a community of practice, considered themselves as active on the board, and believed the leadership orientation suite was effective. An analysis of the qualitative data resulted in four themes: community, communication, participation, and efficacy. Overall, the findings indicated that the new board member orientation/leadership suite assisted new board members transition from peripheral roles to active leadership roles through developing a sense of community; facilitating and sustaining communication; defining, supporting, and encouraging participation; and increasing efficacy in their roles. Through the learning of their roles, the new board members became knowledgeable, comfortable, and confident in serving as board members, which facilitated their participating in the NACCTEP board's CoP.
ContributorsOstos, Ray A (Author) / Buss, Ray (Thesis advisor) / Barnett, Joshua (Committee member) / De Los Santos, Gerardo (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
.ABSTRACT The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) empowered a task force to design a new instructional model for English Language Development (ELD) students. The task force created a four-hour, language intensive instructional model which required ELD-indentified students to be immersed in grammar, reading, pre-writing, vocabulary and oral English conversation. This model also mandated a specific number of instructional minutes were to be assigned to each of the model's five components. Moreover, these instructional minutes were to be accounted for by ELD teachers as they developed lesson plans to teach these students. To address the substantial professional development requirements entailed by these mandates, Wenger's Community of Practice (CoP) framework was employed. A CoP was formed to assist nine ELD teachers to (a) meet mandates of the instructional model, (b) participate in professional development opportunities to gain language-based instructional strategies, (c) plan lessons together and eventually, (d) allow them to become more efficacious in their abilities to meet and implement the mandated ADE Sheltered English Instruction (SEI) instructional model developed by the ADE task force. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered throughout the study by means of a pre- and post-questionnaire, audio taping and transcribing CoP sessions and field notes. Findings suggest the CoP served as an effective forum for increasing ELD teachers' sense of efficacy towards becoming an effective ELD teacher. Moreover, the CoP helped increase understanding of the requirements of the instructional model, participate in professional development specific to their needs and collaborate, which was largely responsible for increasing teacher efficacy.
ContributorsPederson, Susan (Author) / Buss, Ray (Thesis advisor) / Zambo, Ronald (Committee member) / Hightower, Guadalupe (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Health science students like students in many disciplines exhibit difficulty with transferring content from one course to another. For example, the problem explored in this study occurred when overlapping concepts were presented in introductory biology and chemistry courses, but students could not transfer the concepts to the other disciplinary course. In this mixed method action research study, the author served as facilitator/leader of a group of colleagues tasked with investigating and taking steps to resolve this student learning transfer problem. This study outlines the details of how an interdisciplinary community of practice (CoP) formed between chemistry and biology faculty members at a community college to address the problem and the benefits resulting from the CoP. Quantitative and qualitative data were obtained from transcripts of meetings of the faculty members, notes from other formal and informal meetings, classroom visits, a questionnaire containing Likert and open-ended items and interviews. Transcripts, notes, and interviews were coded to determine common themes. Findings suggested the CoP was an effective means to deal with the matter of student transfer of content across courses. In particular, the CoP agreed to use similar terminology, created materials to be used consistently across the courses, and explored other transfer specific approaches that allowed for transfer of course content. Finally, the benefits of the CoP were due in large part to the collaboration that took place among participants.
ContributorsSteele, Bronwen (Author) / Buss, Ray (Thesis advisor) / Zambo, Ron (Thesis advisor) / Rivera, Rey (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
The purpose of this action research study was to implement and analyze an intervention designed to improve perceptions of working with others as well as practice and improve emotional tools related to such interactions through the systematic development of ability emotional intelligence (EI) related skills. The present study sought to: (1) explore high school students’ perceptions of their role as part of a team during teamwork; (1a) investigate how perceptions differed by EI level; (2) examine how students’ perceptions of their role in teamwork were influenced by being paired with more advanced (ability EI) peers or less advanced peers, based on ability emotional intelligence test scores; (3) determine if ability emotional intelligence related skills could be developed over the course of a 7-week intervention.
The intervention took place in a 12th grade US Government & Economics classroom with 34 participants for examination of general trends, and 11 focal participants for focused and in-depth analysis. Students were taught about emotion theory and engaged in two weeks of ability emotional intelligence skills training, followed by a five-week project cycle in which students were required to work together to achieve a common goal. The research design was mixed methods convergent parallel. Quantitative data were collected from post- and retrospective pre-intervention surveys regarding student perceptions about working with others and their ability EI related skills. Qualitative data were collected through on-going student reflective journal entries, observational field notes, and interviews with the focal group of participants.
Results suggested the intervention had a significant effect on students’ perceptions of working with others and perceived ability emotional intelligence related skills. Significant positive change was found through quantitative data analysis, revealing students’ perceptions about working with others in teams had improved as a result of the intervention as had their perceptions about their ability EI related skills. Qualitative analysis revealed rich, thick descriptions exploring this shift in perception among the 11 focal students, providing the evidence necessary to support the effectiveness of the intervention. Results suggested the possibilities for improved teamwork in the classroom.
The intervention took place in a 12th grade US Government & Economics classroom with 34 participants for examination of general trends, and 11 focal participants for focused and in-depth analysis. Students were taught about emotion theory and engaged in two weeks of ability emotional intelligence skills training, followed by a five-week project cycle in which students were required to work together to achieve a common goal. The research design was mixed methods convergent parallel. Quantitative data were collected from post- and retrospective pre-intervention surveys regarding student perceptions about working with others and their ability EI related skills. Qualitative data were collected through on-going student reflective journal entries, observational field notes, and interviews with the focal group of participants.
Results suggested the intervention had a significant effect on students’ perceptions of working with others and perceived ability emotional intelligence related skills. Significant positive change was found through quantitative data analysis, revealing students’ perceptions about working with others in teams had improved as a result of the intervention as had their perceptions about their ability EI related skills. Qualitative analysis revealed rich, thick descriptions exploring this shift in perception among the 11 focal students, providing the evidence necessary to support the effectiveness of the intervention. Results suggested the possibilities for improved teamwork in the classroom.
ContributorsZuniga, Alison Kara (Author) / Bertrand, Melanie (Thesis advisor) / Buss, Ray (Committee member) / Caruso, David (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019