Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2014, Educational Administration (Education)

The study included in this dissertation was designed to measure Ohio public school teachers' attitudes on the use of EVAAS teacher reports in teacher evaluation. The study examined the relationships between teachers' attitudes on Ohio's assessments, teachers' past exposure to EVAAS reports, teachers' EVAAS level, Race to the Top status, teachers' exposure to EVAAS professional development, teachers' attitudes on observation-only teacher evaluation, and teachers' attitudes toward the use of EVAAS teacher reports in teacher evaluation. The data analyses included descriptive data and data from multiple regression analyses. The study employed the use of a survey to gather teacher attitudes from public school teachers in Ohio. Descriptive data included responses from 2,280 teachers, and the final multiple regression analysis included an N of 2,143. The multiple regression analyses included three models. The first model (N = 2,138) was a hierarchical multiple regression model with six steps. The second model (N = 2,143) was a hierarchical model that included the four variables that had statistically significant relationships to the teacher attitudes on the use of EVAAS teacher reports in teacher evaluation. Teacher attitudes on Ohio's assessments (p < .001), teachers' past exposure to EVAAS teacher reports (p < .001), teachers' EVAAS level (p < .01), and teacher attitudes on observation-only teacher evaluation (p < .05) were significantly related to teachers' attitudes on EVAAS teacher reports in teacher evaluation. The four constructs retained statistically significant relationship to the criterion variable in a third, forced entry model (N = 2,143). I then used robust standard errors in the final model to address the issue of correlated data. The robust standard errors did not result in significant changes to the results of the analysis, and therefore the third model was the final model for the study. Descriptive data (mean item score = 2.31) reflect (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Gordon Brooks (Committee Co-Chair); Holly Raffle (Committee Co-Chair); William Larson (Committee Member); Bruce Martin (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

Although decades of research attest to the importance of vocabulary teaching and learning, and recent research points to principles of effective vocabulary instruction, the small number of studies on actual classroom practice suggest that teachers continue to use the least effective approaches, often focusing on memorization of definitions. Research suggests that high-quality vocabulary instruction is multifaceted, including four components as described by Graves (2016): 1) providing rich and varied language experiences; 2) teaching individual words; 3) teaching word-learning strategies; and 4) fostering word consciousness. This dissertation research explored multifaceted vocabulary instruction in one 10th grade English classroom. Using a self-study design and action research methodology, qualitative data were collected over 14 weeks in an effort to shed light on the instructional change process. Findings were analyzed using Graves' four components as well as three theoretical lenses: 1) the metalinguistic complexity of word learning; 2) situated-sociocultural theory; and 3) culturally relevant pedagogy. Themes related to multifaceted vocabulary instruction include: word consciousness as a frame for word learning, academic vocabulary as the focus of individual word learning, fostering student agency to build vocabulary, and my paradigm shift. Additional themes related to the instructional change process focus on teacher knowledge, beliefs, and practice. Implications for teaching practice, teacher professional development, teacher preparation, policy, and future research are discussed.

Committee: Susan Watts-Taffe Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Stephen Kroeger Ed.D. (Committee Member); Holly Johnson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Teaching

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

The enclosed study examines the systemic equity of classical dance training by questioning the existence of implicit bias, its impact on teacher identity, and its role in building pedagogical practices that reflect experiences with implicit bias in ballet training. Motivated by the ongoing conversation about the lack of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), it departs from conventional student deficit-centered reasons. Instead, in it you will find a qualitative, self-reflective, actionable study that focuses on the teacher roles in equity-facing change determined through Critical Action Research methods. The study uses focus groups comprised of ballet practitioners who have experience studying, teaching, observing, and accompanying ballet classes that serve inclusive student bodies. Because of the affective construction of implicit bias; furthermore, the study employs a proprietary conceptual framework, Contemporary Intentional Change (CIC) shaped by pre-data collection, self-reflective examinations of identity undertaken by participants. Focus group participants provided description-rich data that is organized in a resulting Taxonomy of Implicit Bias in Classical Dance Training. As an insightful schema into what comprises implicit bias in ballet training, it will be foundational to further, post-study inquiry to determine long and short-term, equity-facing interventions that foster inclusion, increased student engagement, and organizational change.

Committee: Matthew A. Witenstein (Committee Chair); Rodney Veal (Committee Member); Elizabeth Essex (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Education; Arts Management; Dance; Educational Leadership; Teaching

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Education : Urban Educational Leadership

Over the last twenty years there has been increased interest in facilitating and sustaining change in the education. The bulk of past research has focused on systems change with little insight into the role of individual educators as change agents. The purpose of this study was to examine the role individual teachers play in creating and sustaining change in a large Midwestern urban school district. This study focused on how teachers in a system that was made turbulent by both the neighborhood environment it existed in and the ever changing environment of the large urban district it was a part of. Multiple noteworthy studies have been completed to identify the characteristics and qualities of successful change initiatives. More recently researchers have begun to turn their attention to the human elements of change that occur within systems change. These studies have revealed the importance of collaboration, professional development, available resources, and systems supports to facilitate teachers in change. However, further knowledge is needed to understand how individuals build capacity for change and what the causal factors are that drive teachers to sustain their new practices. In addition, there is a need to discover when it is that teachers begin to plan for sustaining change. The research sought the answer to one question. How do teachers sustain change in turbulent times? The study design was qualitative and involved the analysis of in-depth interviews conducted during the last year of a three year Reading First change initiative. The study also included archival data and field observations. It was found that teachers sustain what is within their power to sustain. The larger the support system for sustaining changes the broader teachers plan for sustaining it. In this instance teachers had a very small support system remaining after the withdrawal of grant monies. Their vision for sustaining change was limited by the withdrawal of most support structures put (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Nancy Evers (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Education, Miami University, 2025, Educational Leadership

Higher education is undergoing a profound transformation, shaped by demographic shifts, economic pressures, and evolving workforce demands. As institutions expand online learning and professional education to adapt, deep tensions have emerged between administrators, faculty, and other stakeholders. These tensions – rooted in questions of governance, institutional mission, academic labor, and the role of the university in the 21st century – have created fractures that often impede progress and erode trust. This dissertation interrogates these tensions through the lens of my lived experiences as a leader navigating the complexities of online learning and professional education in higher education. Using a narrative research approach, I employ Curriculum Fragments (Poetter, 2024), Teacher Lore (Schubert & Ayers, 1992), and narrative points-of-entry (Schultz et al., 2010) to examine key moments of leadership, conflict, and institutional change. Through a series of vignettes, I critically reflect on the struggles and challenges inherent in leading systemic change within a complex and often resistant institutional culture. These narratives are analyzed through multiple theoretical lenses – Adaptive Leadership Theory (Heifetz, 1994), Culture-Based Leadership Theory (Quantz, 2007), Conflict Theory (Collins, 1975), and The Abilene Paradox (Harvey, 1988) – to illuminate the power dynamics, structural constraints, and cultural forces that shape decision-making in higher education. Findings from this research emphasize the necessity of approaching institutional change with cultural awareness, shared governance, and a deep understanding of resistance as a signal rather than an obstacle. The analysis reveals that leadership in higher education must move beyond technical solutions and toward adaptive work – work that engages stakeholders as co-creators of change rather than passive recipients of top-down directives. Further, this study highlights the ways in which facu (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Thomas Poetter (Committee Chair); Brian Schultz (Committee Member); Guy Parmigian (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Higher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, EDU Teaching and Learning

This teacher inquiry study documents my personal journey as a teacher. The main research question was how have my teaching practices as an early childhood educator changed over time in relation to my changing understanding of learning, teaching, and drama in education? This study is a story of my growth and transformation as a teacher over ten years. I draw on my experiences as a kindergarten teacher in Korea, my work using dramatic inquiry with emergent bilingual children in the United States, and my experiences as a graduate student at Ohio State. Using teacher inquiry and narrative inquiry as my methodologies, I analyzed raw data, such as journals, fieldnotes, photographs, and video-and audio-recordings to create narratives of my teaching practice. I engaged in reflective dialogue with my past selves as a teacher in different times and places when I had used play and dramatic inquiry in my own classrooms. I also analyzed the teaching practice of my advisor using dramatic inquiry. My analysis was shared in a community of inquiry as part of my coursework at Ohio State. This reflective process allowed me to better understand my changing teaching practices in more depth and to confront feelings of discomfort that became pivotal moments of realization that I analyzed to show changes over time. I used Cultural Historical Activity Theory as my main theoretical framework for analysis. In addition, I used a framework created by Janet Emig. I analyzed the narratives to identify my changing hidden assumptions, beliefs, and theories of teaching, learning, and drama in education. My findings showed significant changes over a ten-year time frame. I used an innovative approach to construct, present, and analyze the narratives as data. I present and then analyze narratives of the practice of four past teacher-personae. Each persona represents a unique phase in my teaching journey. Collectively, they show change and reveal some of the complexity of my growth and transformati (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Brian Edmiston (Advisor); Melinda Rhoades (Committee Member); Patricia Enciso (Committee Member) Subjects: Bilingual Education; Early Childhood Education; Education; Teacher Education

PHD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

The purpose of this qualitative self-study was to investigate my own critical teaching practices in a freshman university classroom and to see what happened to my teacher identity when my curriculum and instruction focused on issues of social justice. Believing that “…the Eurocentric worldview is so thoroughly hegemonized in the United States…most teachers don't realize they are teaching from this limited point of view” (Malott, 2011, p. 8) and that a “Failure to understand differences, or to subjugate or reject other worldviews, leaves no alternatives to challenge one's understanding of the world [leading to] stagnation and increasingly unusable ideas in a fast-changing cultural environment” compelled me to take a close look at my own teaching practices and teacher ideology. To become aware of my own complicity in maintaining the status-quo (Lewison, Leland, and Harste (2015), I used a Values Coding system (Saldana & Omasta, 2018) to see what values, beliefs, and attitudes would emerge. I collected fieldnotes, created concept maps, composed vignettes, and engaged with critical friends for data collection. I composed found poetry, created emotional arcs, composed vignettes, and engaged with critical friends for data analysis. I used Kincheloe & Steinberg's (1993, 1997, 2017) postformalism as my theoretical framework. A postformal curriculum and instruction involves problem detection, uncovering hidden assumptions, noticing relationships and patterns, connecting logic and emotion, and attending to particularities. Findings revealed that I was largely unaware of the particularities of Generation Z. Not knowing and understanding the values of Gen Z resulted in moments of discomfort and pushback. Results also showed I value comfort and safety and I would make curricular adjustments so that comfort and safety would be a priority in my classroom. Furthermore, analysis revealed feelings are a valued way of knowing and resilience would be vital attitude to push me throug (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: William Bintz (Committee Chair) Subjects: Curriculum Development; Education; Education Philosophy; Educational Theory; Higher Education; Pedagogy

PHD, Kent State University, 2022, College of the Arts / School of Music, Hugh A. Glauser

BAGWELL, DAWN MICHELLE, M.M., MAY 2022 LOOKING IN ON MUSIC PROGRAM TEACHER TRANSITIONS: A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY (254PP.) Dissertation Advisors: Jay Dorfman, Ph.D., and Christopher Venesile, Ph.D. The purpose of this multiple case study was to examine the impact of teacher transition on established secondary school music programs. Through semi-structured interviews, I explored outcomes of teacher transition through the lens of the Social Identity Theory. The sample consisted of: (1) a large Southeastern Florida suburban music program where the music teacher transitioned following a tragic incident in the school; (2) a medium Northeastern Ohio suburban thriving vocal program that transitioned to a new director in the last two years; and (3) a large, private Northeastern Ohio School located in an urban school district where a former music educator is now the principal responsible for hiring the new educator. The participants included teachers, students, parents, and administrators who have been involved in transitions of the leadership of established music programs. Three research questions guided this multiple case study: How do music teachers who have taken over leadership of established programs describe their experience related to the facets of transition? How do non-teacher participants involved in established music programs describe their experience related to the facets of transitions? How are the elements of group identity impacted by teacher transition? Data collection consisted of individual interviews, email correspondences, program handbooks, and researcher journal notes. Results suggested that the transition process ended when every student who had the predecessor graduated. Any changes to the program caused threats to the group identity resulting in negative behaviors towards the incoming teacher. The predecessors' acceptance of the new teacher did not impact the transition process, and students were impacted by how they were told their pre (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jay Dorfman Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Craig Resta Ph.D. (Committee Member); Martha Lash Ph.D. (Committee Member); Christopher Venesile Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair) Subjects: Music; Music Education; Pedagogy; Teacher Education; Teaching

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2022, Leadership and Change

This dissertation used interpretive case study methodology focused on the story of rebuilding the national education system of Afghanistan destroyed by decades of conflict. The study documents the challenges and progress in preparing adequate and qualified teachers for the nation. The dissertation is based on critical analysis of available documents tracing events, policies, and programs. The research asks: What are the critical leadership strategies and organizational frameworks that promote or impede institutional change? What are the barriers to change in teacher education in a conservative Islamic society? The dissertation is unique in that this story of educational intervention in a small war-torn, socially fragmented, and politically fractured nation is documented by a participant observer who is both of the nation and from the nation. The study records the steps and missteps of the changes and leadership processes implemented by both international donor-advisors and national leaders to restore education to Afghanistan in a critical contemporary time. The story encompasses many aspects of education in Afghanistan, past and present, including urgent efforts to fulfill the promise of the new Constitution for universal nondiscriminatory and free education for all, not only of a population in residence but of the masses returning from exile expecting schools for their children. The central core of the dissertation is a focus on the national effort to recruit and train teachers, competent in subject knowledge and teaching methods. A basic and recurring theme is the education of girls and women and their role in this society. Although gender equity is a priority theme through the dissertation, the central message of the dissertation is the evolution of teacher training. This story is framed against the larger picture of historical traditions, the disruptions of conflict, and recent overall national education reconstruction, expansion, and reform. The record of cult (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jon Wergin PhD (Committee Chair); Laurien Alexandre PhD (Committee Member); Edna Mitchell PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Teacher Education

Doctor of Education, Miami University, 2021, Educational Leadership

This dissertation sought to answer questions about the sensemaking processes of teacher leaders in a middle school that was part of a state-wide improvement process called the Ohio Improvement Process (OIP). The context of the research was a historically under-performing school that had been part of the OIP for 6 years at the time the research was conducted. This case was chosen in part due to significant growth in academic student outcome measures that were reflected in changes in the building's report card grade shared by the state. It was also chosen because this researcher was already an active participant in the systems such that access to ongoing conversations and authentic reflection could be possible. Data were gathered using semi-structured individual interviews, and they were supported by review of historical records from the leadership team's work over the past 3-4 years. These data were analyzed in part through the use of definitions of teacher leadership from Moller & Katzenmeyer (2009) and of sensemaking from Spillane (2005). This study largely tells a shared narrative, and the story itself is the primary "finding" of the research. This study also may suggest an overall theme that teacher leaders can be more effective when they are empowered to engage in sensemaking so much that they serve as the final interpreters of policy. This can allow them to become policy makers themselves, not just policy implementers.

Committee: Lucian Szlizewski Dr. (Committee Co-Chair); Joel Malin Dr. (Committee Co-Chair); Nathaniel Bryan Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; School Administration; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2019, Curriculum and Instruction

This study explored how one teacher's instructional strategies and perceptions about STEM investigations with kindergarten children evolved over the course of three years of participation in the NURTURES professional development program. The purpose of this study was to gather and share useful information about the effects of long- term professional development on early childhood science instruction. Specifically, the study provides information on changes in a teacher's use of questioning to prompt classroom discourse, encouragement of science and engineering practices, use of behavior management during STEM investigations, and perceptions about science teaching for very young children. Analyses of the data, both quantitative and qualitative in nature, provide detailed descriptions of how comprehensive professional development can impact classroom practices that support high-quality discourse and student engagement during inquiry and engineering investigations at the early childhood level. Findings showed an increase in the teacher's use of higher-level questions and science and engineering practices, a decrease in behavior management instances, and an altered perception of what inquiry-based science looks and sounds like in a kindergarten classroom.

Committee: Susanna Hapgood (Advisor); Charlene Czerniak M (Committee Member); Joan Kaderavek N (Committee Member); Scott Molitor (Committee Member) Subjects: Early Childhood Education; Education; Elementary Education; Engineering; Mathematics Education; Science Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, EDU Teaching and Learning

Argumentative writing is a crucial skill in the school years and beyond, and there is an emphasis in various local, state, and national standards on argumentative writing. However, such writing is known to be a challenging and complex genre for English Learners (ELs) with limited English proficiency as well as cultural differences in terms of how argumentative thought and writing are conceptualized (Hirvela, 2013). It can be equally challenging and complex for many English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers, who are often ill-equipped for writing instruction (Larsen, 2013, 2016). From a research perspective, there have been few studies exploring the abilities and needs of ESL teachers as relates to instruction in argumentation, especially in high school settings, where various learning and achievement standards are increasingly requiring a focus on argumentation despite the difficulty of teaching and learning argumentative writing regarding ELs. To address the gaps in the scholarship discussed above, this dissertation explores how a ESL teacher, Ms. Patrick, sought to develop her expertise in teaching argumentative writing in a suburban high-school ESL class for ELs over a two-year period using a classroom-based research methodology that involved ongoing observations of her class sessions, interviews with her and her students, and examination of her teaching activities and materials as well as her students' responses to her instruction. This study employed as an analytical tool the notion of expertise, particularly a distinction between what is known as routine and adaptive expertise, to examine how Ms. Patrick initiated and engaged in change as a teacher over time with respect to her understanding of argumentative writing, her curricular planning, and her instructional activities. The study's findings revealed that Ms. Patrick acquired at least a degree of Hedgcock and Lee's (2017) three types of knowledge essential for ESL teachers: (1) subject matter knowled (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Alan Hirvela (Advisor); George Newell (Committee Member) Subjects: English As A Second Language; Pedagogy; Teacher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, EDU Teaching and Learning

Although most of the writing in high school English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms is about literature and although there have been incessant calls for changing the practices of teaching and learning literature, only meager amounts of research have been conducted in these interrelated domains of the field. Accordingly, this dissertation seeks to address these issues by examining the process of a teacher transitioning her teaching practice to literary argumentation. The ethnographic and discourse analytic case study reported here was part of an eight-year, Institute of Education Sciences (IES) funded research project on teaching and learning argumentative writing in high school ELA classrooms. As part of the larger project, this dissertation study was embedded in a yearlong study of teaching and learning of literary argumentation in an Honor American Literature course at “Davis High School”. The teacher was a white female in her seventh year teaching ELA while the students were in both tenth and eleventh grade and were comprised of 18 students, ten females and eight males. Of the 18 students, 16 students identified as white while two identified as Asian American. Using microethnographic methods, I examined the contextual factors shaping a teacher's changing approach to literary argumentation, how she and her 10th and 11th grade students' instructional conversations fostered a shared understanding for literary argumentation; and finally to consider how the context and argumentative writing practices shaped student learning, I traced a case study student's essay for sources and processes related to the curricular context. This study of changing approaches to the teaching of writing about literature is framed by theories of teacher change and a microethnographic approach to discourse analysis. Findings demonstrated that the teacher attempted to change her literature instruction by introducing literary argumentative practices into her teaching through writing assignmen (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: George Newell Ph.D. (Committee Chair); David Bloome Ph.D. (Committee Member); Alan Hirvela Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Curriculum Development; Education; Language Arts; Literacy; Literature; Secondary Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2017, English

My research in affect theory and composition teacher development is grounded in the belief that lived experience is a foundational way of knowing, of making sense of the world. This dissertation project makes the argument that through research on affect specifically, we can develop a greater awareness and familiarity with our social and embodied emotional processes, which will ultimately help composition instructors reframe their complicated affective experiences in generative and meaningful ways. In Chapter One, I explore previous investigations into emotion and affect from a variety of disciplines while also illuminating the dearth of research that currently exists on instructor affect, especially within the field of composition and rhetoric. I then draw from neuroscience, philosophy, and cultural studies to develop a definition of affect as “the capacity to change and be changed,” and I use this theoretical framework to help identify locations for generative intervention for composition teacher development practices. In Chapter Two, I turn to the methodologies and methods I enacted while collecting my data, focusing on how feminist and queer understandings of social-science research helped me embrace the messiness of affect theory. At the heart project is a case study with eight first-year composition instructors at two different universities. After conducting classroom observations, I engaged in two interviews with each of my participants. In Chapters Three and Four, I include moments from these conversations in which my participants and I talked about their affective experiences—how they feel about teaching, what influences their affective responses, how they negotiate their emotions, and how they might come to better understand the nature of these affective experiences. In Chapter Five, I use these interactions to offer practical interventions for composition instructors and writing program administrators to help these instructors negotiate their affective res (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jason Palmeri PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Michele Simmons PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Kate Ronald PhD (Committee Member); Lisa Weems PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Pedagogy; Rhetoric

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2017, EDU Teaching and Learning

The purpose of this study was to describe middle school DHH students' understandings (and/or misconceptions) of the Earth-Sun-Moon relationship before and after completion of a 10-day instructional unit and to examine the change in understandings from pre- to post-instruction. Analysis focused on students' conceptual understandings both before and after participation in an instructional unit on the Earth-Sun-Moon relationship. Data from classroom observations conducted during instruction were analyzed to determine the influence of classroom talk on students' understanding of concepts. The influence of teacher perceptions was also addressed as a potential factor in student learning. Prior to receiving instruction, the majority of students possessed an alternative or fragmented understanding of the Earth-Moon-Sun relationship and lunar concepts. Results from the measure of students' knowledge of the Earth-Moon-Sun relationship on the three component questions (Earth-Moon-Sun relationship, gravity, patterns of orbit) indicated a moderate degree of conceptual change. Results from the measure of students' understanding of lunar concepts showed a greater gain in conceptual understanding than was shown on the Earth-Moon-Sun relationship measure. Consistent with the findings of previous research by Molander et al. (2007, 2010), ambiguity in the scientific meaning of the classroom dialogue or misconceptions arising from the use or omission of a particular term in sign language were found to have an effect on students' learning. Analysis of the scientific classroom talk that occurred during instruction showed that the teacher maintained a high level of control over the discourse. Data from pre- and post-instruction interviews with the teacher provided insight into her perceptions of her students' abilities. The teacher expressed her perception of her students as largely dependent learners, which seemed to have an effect on how she delivered instruction. The teach (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Tiffany Wild (Advisor); Peter Paul (Committee Member); Mollie Blackburn (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Special Education; Teaching

PHD, Kent State University, 2016, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies

Even though Ministry of National Education (MoNE) in Turkey has been switching from the traditional approach to the constructivist one since 2005, the classroom practices, teaching methods, evaluation system, school structures and materials, and the aspects of the administrators and teachers are still traditional and contrary to the principles of constructivism. This study examined the drawbacks of the traditional education system and offered constructivism as a new notion in teaching English as a foreign language in Turkey. A 10-day professional development seminar was given to 6 English teachers working in 2 public schools in the city of Ankara, and the impacts of the seminar on teachers' change were observed. Different types of data sources, such as participant periodic interviews, observational fieldnotes and artifacts, and researcher logs were collected and analyzed in order to get some answers to the research questions of this dissertation. The findings in general, showed that the teacher development seminar helped the teachers learn constructivism, and change in their approach, views, and classroom applications. This study provided noteworthy findings regarding professional development seminars in the context of Turkey and teacher change. A well-planned and well-organized teacher development seminar with an on-going support and counseling is necessary. Further, professional communities and critical conversation groups have notable roles in teacher development. This study also revealed that the teachers were the most important people in implementing a new educational system and policy change as they can reach their idealistic (constructivist) goals regardless of any insufficiencies.

Committee: Wendy Kasten (Committee Co-Chair); Alexa Sandmann (Committee Co-Chair); Eric Jefferis (Committee Member); Catherine Hackney (Other) Subjects: Curriculum Development; Education; Education Philosophy; Educational Theory; English As A Second Language; Foreign Language

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2015, College of Education

This mixed methods study explored the factors that lead to job satisfaction in a changing educational environment. The study was completed in a rural school district in the central Ohio area. The data were collected through the administration of Hackman and Oldham's Job Diagnostic Survey along with conducting individual interviews and focus groups. Multiple sources of data were collected from participants at varied times. Themes from both quantitative and qualitative approaches were cross-checked, while findings were compared to the literature review. The data analysis led to the following themes: importance of instructional support from administration and colleagues, commitment to student success, teacher self-efficacy, and a belief in job significance. Data also revealed that educational changes have resulted in the participants' break in psychological contract, which has triggered feelings of fear and loss of confidence.

Committee: Constance Savage PhD (Committee Chair); James Olive PhD (Committee Member); Harold Wilson PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, EDU Teaching and Learning

The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic study was to explore inclusion along a continuum of educational placements by examining how classroom literacy teachers transform through the use of dramatic inquiry with students with special rights in inclusive settings. The main research question used for the research was: “How is the inclusion of students in collaborative activities affected by the classroom teacher's changing practices in response to her awareness of how teacher and students are positioning one another?” Data were obtained from two different classrooms along a continuum of educational placements during teaching of units using dramatic inquiry. The settings included in the study were a high school classroom in a public residential school for the bind and a general education elementary classroom in a public elementary school, both in the Midwestern United States. The instructional strategies for literacy instruction in both classrooms were based on dramatic inquiry (Edmiston, 2014), which combines dramatic teaching for learning with inquiry-based instruction. Students, alongside their teacher collaborated to make meaning together as they stepped into real world and fictional spaces to explore different possibilities connected to a text. This is the first time that collaborative inquiry has been done with classroom teachers with a sociocultural theoretical framework using dramatic inquiry to examine teachers changing pedagogy to support inclusion using my definition of inclusion in settings along a continuum of educational placements. The collaborative inquiry research was conducted alongside the classroom teachers to include their voice alongside the researchers to inform and improve their own practice. The classroom teacher participants changing practice was identified using an adaptation of Emig's (1983) inquiry paradigm to examine how each teacher's theoretical framework, governing gaze, assumptions, and actions changed over time based on t (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Tiffany Wild Ph.D. (Advisor); Brian Edmiston Ph.D. (Advisor) Subjects: Education; Special Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2014, EDU Teaching and Learning

The intent of the present study was to document (describe) and evaluate the impact of a PD program for the education of ELLs called ESL-content Teacher Collaborative (ECTC) on the learning and teaching practice of secondary content teachers. By employing a mixed methods multiple case study design, this study sought to answer the following four research questions: 1. What did the ECTC participants learn about teaching ELLs through the program? 2. How did the teachers' learning from the ECTC program facilitate changes in their teaching practices? 3. What were the individual or contextual factors that either fostered or hindered changes in teacher practice? 4. How did the teachers perceive the content and design features of the ECTC program and the impact of these features on their learning experience? Six-nine ECTC alumni teachers responded to a survey that was designed based on the four research questions, and three of them were recruited to participate in the case studies. Both the quantitative and qualitative findings indicated the effectiveness of the ECTC in bringing about changes in teacher knowledge and instructional practices for the education of ELLs. The teachers reported considerable improvement in their knowledge, beliefs, and skills with regard to TESOL methods and strategies, culturally responsive teaching, concepts and issues in sociolinguistics related to TESOL, the SIOP Model, selection and development of second language instructional materials, and second language assessment. Application of the teachers' learning to their classroom practices primarily occurred in the following three areas: implementation of the SIOP Model, modifications made to assessments and assignment, and teacher collaboration. However, reported improvement in the skills for the development of ELL students' literacy skills (i.e., reading and writing) did not seem to induce much change in classroom instruction except vocabulary instruction. With regard to the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Keiko Samimy (Advisor); Alan Hirvela (Committee Member); George Newell (Committee Member) Subjects: English As A Second Language; Secondary Education; Teacher Education

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2013, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Curriculum and Instruction

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore two elementary teachers' implementation of engineering design over two academic years and to describe how their teaching practice changed over the two instructional cycles. This study used field notes and audio transcripts of the teachers during their engineering design teaching, written reflections, and a final interview to generate data that were analyzed for emerging themes and patterns. These data answered the following research questions: (a) How do two fifth grade science teachers implement an engineering design activity? (b) How do these same two fifth grade science teachers' instructional practices change as they implement the same engineering design activity for a second time the following academic year? And, (c) What factors do the teachers identify as to why their practice changed? The findings of this study concluded that with experience teachers made more explicit connections to science and engineering content and practices. Additionally, they more actively facilitated deeper questioning and troubleshooting. An additional finding was that teacher change is not an isolated event, but a system of interacting influences. The findings in this research study provide insight and implication for supporting teacher change in practice in K-12 educational reform efforts as we move to implement engineering and engineering design into the K-12 science curriculum.

Committee: Helen Meyer Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jonathan M Breiner Ph.D. (Committee Member); Marshalla Harkness Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education