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open access

Supporting and Retaining Beginning Teachers during COVID-19

Description: This explanatory sequential mixed methods study was designed to determine, from the perspective of beginning teachers, the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic affected their intentions to remain in teaching. There were two additional goals in conducting the study: (a) to determine the key practices, supports, or events that played a role in impacting teachers' intentions to remain in teaching during a crisis; and (b) to determine the key practices, supports, or events teachers believe the dis… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Shuffield, Austin
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Professional Learning Communities and the Supportive Conditions for Improved Teacher Instructional Practices

Description: The purpose of the study was to examine and evaluate the extent to which the supportive conditions (collaboration, teacher efficacy, shared leadership, and trust) were present in the district's current professional learning communities (PLCs) model, and whether teachers perceived the supportive conditions to be related to improving their instructional practices. This mixed-methods study used Pearson correlation coefficient, multiple regression, and focus group interviews to concurrently triangu… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Parham, Charlene Marie
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

What School Leaders Need to Know: The Impact of Teacher Turnover on Student Achievement in Middle School Mathematics

Description: This study looked at the relationship between teacher turnover and student achievement, in addition to the relationship between specific student demographic characteristics and teacher turnover. Within this study, student demographic, staff demographic, and student achievement data from several middle schools within the studied district, as well as data from each of the school's comparison groups, as designated by the Texas Education Agency, was analyzed. The data used was from the 2018-2019, 2… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Grindle, Colleen D.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Leadership Framework to Raise Teacher Engagement

Description: The purpose of this study was to determine which principal leadership behaviors are associated with higher levels of teacher engagement. The conceptual framework guiding this study was based on the behaviors associated with four specific leadership styles: transformational, shared, instructional, and transactional. This study used descriptive and inferential statistics to identify teacher perceptions of prominent leadership behaviors of each campus principal. Data related to teacher perceptions… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: O'Bara, Susannah Holbert
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Social and Emotional Learning Programs on Black Students

Description: The study of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) within a social and emotional learning (SEL) program is timely as it supports the increasing body of literature on narrowing the educational gaps prevalent among Black students. Current research is lacking regarding if and how educators utilize CRP to support the learning of SEL competencies with Black students. For this study, the tenets of cultural relevance, SEL competencies, and the leadership practices of one urban district seeking to increas… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: McCowan, Alicia E.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of Reading Intervention on Student Achievement in Mathematics

Description: With high stakes testing in public schools, pressure for success prompts schools to implement intervention programs for reading and mathematics, often at the expense of extra-curricular and elective activities. Previous literature indicated a correlation between reading comprehension and mathematical understanding. This study examined the specific intervention programs being utilized by two rural Texas school districts and the impact these programs had on student mathematic scores as measured b… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Farnsworth, Cara
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Audacity of Authenticity: Personal and Professional Identity Negotiation in Queer Preservice Teachers

Description: The purpose of this study was to examine the intersection of preservice teachers' personal identities as queer individuals with their emerging professional identities as educators. Political and social environments contribute to a separation of these identities, which can further the marginalization of these individuals to the detriment of both their identities as people as well as their professional practice. Guided by a theoretical framework of figured worlds, interviews with students in teac… more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Moore, Kevin Michael
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Bilingual Educators' Practices for Supporting Hispanic Bilingual Students' Success in School

Description: This narrative inquiry study sought the voices of bilingual teachers through their lived experiences in relation to the success of Hispanic emergent bilinguals in schools. Two research questions guided the study: (1) What practices do bilingual educators consider important in helping Hispanic emergent bilingual students succeed in schools? and (2) How do bilingual teachers negotiate the curriculum and school structures to support Hispanic bilingual students' success in their classrooms? Two the… more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Marcum Lerwick, Ana Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Strategies Effective Turnaround Principals Use to Improve School Performance Ratings Under the Texas A-F Accountability System

Description: School accountability has been a focus for state and federal legislators for over 50 years. In 2017, Texas passed House Bill 22 to align their accountability system with the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015. This piece of legislation gives every Texas public school a letter grade based on state assessment scores, attendance, and other factors. Schools that received a D or F, or schools that need to improve the scores of certain subpopulations, were identified as in need of targeted support. F… more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Knox, Jessica Lynn
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Community Participation for the Improvement of Educational System in Pakistan

Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate the current state of community participation in Pakistani schools in the capitol city of Pakistan. All national education policies developed by the government of Pakistan stress the need for community participation in the schools. School leaders are mandated to develop strategies to involve parents and community members in schools. This research focused on a single case with multiple subunits geographically situated in Islamabad, Pakistan. In the cur… more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Nadeem, Fiaz
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Including Special Education Teachers in High Functioning Professional Learning Communities: Implications for School Leaders

Description: Public education in America became a target of reform since the passage of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Some reforms come from court cases, some from presidents wanting to enact change, and others from political events from as far away as Russia. Yet, one concept remains the same: the improvement of educators is needed for supporting student growth and achievement. Getting both special education and general education teachers together to work collaboratively is critical to the growth … more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Wilshire, John Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Secondary Programming for Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities in Relation to Postsecondary Needs

Description: For students with moderate to severe disabilities, their secondary education, specific to Grades 9 through 12, greatly impacts postsecondary outcomes. Key components of secondary education for this learner population include classroom structures and alternative curricula implementation. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine selected secondary programs to determine whether classroom structures and alternative curricula were meeting the postsecondary needs of students with moderate… more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Haq, Summayia
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Core Science Teaching Practices to Develop Scientific Literacy: A Disciplinary Literacy Framework Analysis

Description: Every citizen has the right to be equipped with scientific literacy to understand and make informed decisions within the discipline of science. Educators can utilize core science teaching practices (CSTPs) to develop scientific literacy. In response, this study identified the CSTPs utilized by preservice elementary teachers (PSETs) to develop scientific literacy during their spring 2022 student teaching semester. Furthermore, this study identified contextual constructs that led to the utilizati… more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Ham, Chris D.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

More Than Just a Test Score: Designing and Implementing a Community-Based Accountability System in One Texas School District

Description: Since at least the 1960s, federal and state policymakers have debated how best to hold public schools accountable for producing graduates who are prepared to fully participate in our democratic society. Since that time, reform efforts have led to Texas' current test-based A-F accountability system. This qualitative case study explored how one Texas school district worked to design and implement an alternative accountability system. A community-based accountability system (CBAS) is created in co… more
Date: August 2022
Creator: Leader, Joel Alan
Partner: UNT Libraries

Students' and Teachers' Perceptions of Mathematics through Their Lived Experiences in Classrooms and Communities

Description: This dissertation includes background on influences of mathematics, mathematics education, and who is viewed as a mathematician leading into three articles exploring students' and teachers' perceptions of mathematics through their lived experiences in both mathematics classrooms and their communities. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis for the methodology, all three articles analyze mathematics autobiographies and semi-structured interviews with five student participants enrolled in… more
This item is restricted from view until September 1, 2027.
Date: August 2022
Creator: Hulme, Keely
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Urban Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Multicultural Education and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Description: Current literature calls for more culturally responsive pedagogy and multicultural education to connect with what students know, do, and believe outside of school and to utilize this to foster their academic achievement. This study investigated elementary teachers' perceptions of culturally responsive pedagogy and multicultural education in an urban school with a predominantly large minoritized student population (African American and Hispanic students). The study focused on four elementary tea… more
Date: August 2022
Creator: Davis, Vickie Domonique
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Through the Eyes of a Teacher: Reflections on Preparedness to Teach Special Population Students

Description: Teacher preparation programs are varied in their approach to preparing teachers for the realities of the classroom, particularly when working with special population students. School districts and leaders utilize mentoring and professional development opportunities to help teachers bridge the knowledge and skills gap between what they learned in their preparation programs and what they need to know in their current position for instructing special population students. The purpose of this qualit… more
Date: August 2022
Creator: Whitworth, Misty Kay
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Voices from the Field: What Special Education Teachers Want Their Principals to Know

Description: Special education in the public-school setting is designed to support students with disabilities by providing them specially designed instruction to meet their unique needs. This cannot be achieved without special education teachers who undergo specialized training to enable students with a disability to reach their maximum potential. Special education teachers' job duties differ greatly from that of a general education teacher, and they require specialized supports from their administrators. T… more
Date: August 2022
Creator: Stephens, Jennifer Elaine
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Exploration of Impostor Phenomenon among African American Women in Educational Leadership Roles

Description: African American women in educational leadership roles face a myriad of barriers and challenges. Black feminist theory and impostor phenomenon theory offered a potent conceptual lens for understanding the experiences of successful African American women. A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to examine and explore strategies that African American women use to (a) navigate the impostor phenomenon in relation to career mobility, and (b) identify and understand how social constructs … more
Date: August 2022
Creator: Dumas, Simonè Marquise
Partner: UNT Libraries

Student Belonging: A Critical Narrative Inquiry of Grenadian Secondary Students' Storied Experiences in Schooling

Description: Including all students through the educative processes is instrumental to their success. Each student's journey through education is therefore impacted by the ways they are included in the classroom. As such, social inclusion, and academic inclusion underpinned by a general sense of belonging are key elements impacting students' successes in schooling. Both globally and nationally school systems face challenges in enacting policies, pedagogies, and practices to meet the needs of increasingly di… more
This item is restricted from view until June 1, 2027.
Date: May 2022
Creator: Henry-Packer, Caroline Jacinta
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Program Evaluation of Districtwide Literacy Intervention Programs: Implications for District Leaders

Description: This mixed methods study was designed for two purposes: (1) to provide district and campus leaders data about the effectiveness of how the studied district's READ 180 and System 44 literacy intervention programs were implemented, and (2) to assess the programs' impact on student outcomes to determine whether the district was meeting literacy goals and if recommendations identified in the previous program evaluation report were addressed. Archival de-identified student achievement data and focus… more
Date: May 2022
Creator: Reynolds, Danielle Foss
Partner: UNT Libraries

Students' Perceptions of Learning Environment and Achievement with Augmented Reality Technology

Description: The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of using AR in the Computer Architecture unit for male 11th grade students in a school in the eastern area of Arar City in Saudi Arabia through monitoring its impact on student achievement and students' perceptions of the learning environment. Two research questions are explored: What is the effect of using AR on student achievement, and what are students' perceptions of the learning environment when they use AR? Two instruments were used to c… more
Date: May 2022
Creator: Alenezi, Abdulilah Farhan H
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Leadership Styles that Contribute to African American Male Students' Discretionary Disciplinary Incidence Rates

Description: Factors that influence a school leader's disciplinary determination for student discretionary decisions are many times difficult to measure. The purpose of this study was to investigate leadership style factors that may be linked to contributable factors for African American male disciplinary incidents. The following leadership factors were examined: (a)self -awareness, (b) collaborative dialogue, (c) drive to achieve, (d) internalization of campus disciplinary vision, (e) building relationship… more
Date: May 2022
Creator: White, Samantha L
Partner: UNT Libraries

Student Perceptions of Literacy Learning with Digital Storytelling

Description: This qualitative case study examined how integrating technology, specifically digital storytelling, influenced secondary student perceptions of literacy learning and student engagement in an English language arts and reading classroom in a rural district. Understanding student perceptions of literacy learning can offer insight into which technological tools can support literacy development and classroom engagement. Through the implementation of case study design and thematic analysis, overarchi… more
This item is restricted from view until June 1, 2024.
Date: May 2022
Creator: Brom, Krystle
Partner: UNT Libraries
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