Search Results

open access

Perceptions of Principals Learning to Lead Professional Learning Communities in a Fast-Growth District

Description: The role of the principal has become increasingly complex and challenging. Recent emphasis has been placed on the role of principals as leaders who can build a culture of learning in schools to close the student achievement gap. Outside factors such as fast-growth in Texas have caused schools to change and grow quickly, which increases the learning demands placed on principals as they seek to develop the knowledge and skills needed for effective leadership. Developing and sustaining a professio… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Rapp, Kellie C
open access

Leadership Practices for Effective Equitable Learning Environments: A Case Study of Opportunity Gaps in a Rural District

Description: In rural, low socioeconomic public schools, the diversity of the student population challenges teachers beyond their means to meet the wide-ranging needs of students, and therefore creating opportunity gaps. The purpose of this study was to explore one district's leadership support of teachers to create an equitable learning environment for all students. The present study built on existing literature by discovering leadership practices and perceived necessary supports for closing achievement ga… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Palazzetti, Lisa A
open access

High School Teachers and Support Staff's Attitudes toward Students with Disabilities in the Inclusive General Education Classroom

Description: Research has shown teachers' attitudes toward students with disabilities directly affect the students' performance in the general education classroom; however, more research is needed to determine what variables influence high school teacher and support staff attitudes. The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of high school general education teachers, special education teachers, and support staff toward students with disabilities in the general education classroom. The study ex… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Yoakum, Carrie Mae
open access

Learning Management System Facilitated Blended Learning in Secondary Schools

Description: The relatively new utilization of learning management system (LMS) facilitated blended learning in secondary public schools has grown in popularity, but there is a void in research at this level. Teachers learned how to use the LMS features and honed their blended learning design skills through their own experiences, and in observation of their students' experiences. In this study, the knowledge teachers built and the decisions they made while designing blended learning were explored. In thi… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Clewell, Kelly Sue
open access

Highly Motivated, High-Achieving, Economically Disadvantaged Middle School Students: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

Description: To conduct this qualitative dissertation study, a phenomenological approach was utilized. The purpose of the study was to examine the perspectives of highly motivated, economically disadvantaged, middle school students to discover the factors that they identified as integral to their overall development and their intrinsic motivation, over time, to learn. A key component of this study was to give voice to the students who participated in this study and utilize their perspectives as a primary da… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Minyard, Michael
open access

An Exploration of the Changing Role of Principal Supervisors

Description: Existing literature provides newly identified responsibilities of the principal supervisor but lacks in information about how districts should strategically spearhead the process of initiating, implementing, and managing the changes to the role of the supervisor. In this study, I examined the behaviors and actions of one school district's executive-level leaders as they shifted the position of the principal supervisor. Findings could contribute to a new area of research in how district leader… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Bennett, Mia H
open access

Improving Instruction through Teacher Evaluation: Principal and Teacher Perceptions of Leadership Practices and Policy Tools within the Evaluation Process

Description: In recent decades, changes to federal and state accountability policy and related teacher evaluation systems occurred in the United States with minimal input from two of the largest groups of stakeholders impacted: principals and teachers. For this case study, I explored principals' and teachers' perceptions of their experiences with the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS), specifically the role of leadership practices and use of the evaluation rubric as a policy tool within an… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Clark, Christopher
open access

The Impact of Early Childhood Education on Academic Achievement

Description: Two groups of students were compared to determine the impact of early intervention at the Early Childhood School on academic outcomes in later elementary school years for both math and reading. Students who were determined to be disadvantaged in some way, either by income, limited English proficiency, or having been identified as needing specialized instruction and who attended an early intervention program, prior to kindergarten, were compared to a similar group who did not attend the interve… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Davis, Jodi
open access

District Systematic Supports of an Instructional Coaching Program

Description: The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the systems, structures, and behaviors district leaders employ and enact to assist elementary school principals' relationship with their school instructional coach. Through the synthesis of current research, the conceptual framework was developed with a focus on district leadership behaviors and instructional coaching programs. The conceptual framework consisted of professional capital theory, instructional coaching model, and principal le… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Webb, Mary Katherine
open access

A Case Study of Leadership Supports of Job-Embedded Professional Development

Description: Professional development is a critical part of school improvement and enhancing teacher quality; yet there is limited literature about how principals design and lead effective professional development systems. The research activities in this qualitative single case study explored the leadership practices at one successful school implementing job-embedded professional development. A conceptual framework relating Hallinger's leadership for learning construct to professional development helped f… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Jones, Amber
open access

Preservice Teachers' Images of Female Scientists, Male Scientists, and Teacher as Scientists: An Analysis of Stereotypical Indicators

Description: The role of depicting and analysing scientist images to reveal gender-science stereotypes among students in K-12 classrooms is an ongoing research trend in science education literature. The study reported here carries on this research trend but focuses on preservice elementary teachers' images of scientists. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between preservice elementary teachers' gender and ethnicity and their drawn images of a female scientist, male scientist, and … more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Rendon, Netassha M
open access

Improving College Readiness: An Analysis of School-Level Factors

Description: While much of the literature regarding college readiness focuses on student-specific factors, such as the individual's academic achievement; scores on college readiness assessments; and high school GPA, more research is needed to understand which school-level factors have the most influence on the percentage of college-ready graduates. The purpose of this research study was to explore the impact of various school-level factors (i.e., student demographics, college entrance exam facts, course off… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Norton, Shonna Christine
open access

Women's Access to School Superintendency Roles

Description: Men continue to outnumber women in public school superintendent roles by a 4:1 ratio. However, women outnumber men by a 4:1 ratio in teaching roles in public school districts. In addition, more women than men hold superintendent certificates and educational doctorates. Due to this puzzling discrepancy, it is important to understand possible factors in the form of gendered barriers to access that could lead to the unequal representation of women in superintendent positions. In this study, I exam… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Solomon, Dana
open access

Are Things Falling Apart Again? A Dialectical Analysis of Language Education Policy in Nigeria

Description: Today's globalized world presents challenges for formulating language education policies in multilingual countries, and postcolonial Nigeria presents a dramatic illustration because of ongoing colonial influences as well as neocolonial factors. This study focused on dialectical relations over time among languages in Nigeria's National Policy on Education (NPE), published in 1977, 1981, 1998, 2004, 2013, and 2014. The title of the study harks to Chinua Achebe's novel, Things Fall Apart, which d… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Olaniyi, Adepeju Folasade

Asian and Asian Indian American Immigrant Students: Factors Influencing Their Academic Performance

Description: Asian American students have done well in school; they have had higher academic achievements, higher academic scores, lower dropout rates and higher college entrance rates as compared to other minorities and generally other students in the United States (U.S.). A possible explanation to the higher academic performance and achievement of the Asian American students is that they are more likely to have experienced an environment that is conducive to learning at home; their parents were involved a… more
Access: Restricted to UNT Community Members. Login required if off-campus.
Date: August 2019
Creator: Mathew, Subhas
open access

Impact of Early Childhood Education on Later Academic Achievement

Description: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of participation in the district's early childhood program on later academic achievement as measured by the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) mathematics and reading assessments in Grades 3, 4, and 5. The studied district opened a centralized early childhood school in 2009 and implemented the Texas Pre-K Guidelines. The STAAR test results were available for five cohorts of students who attended the early childhood sch… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Weems, Amy

Prevalence and Proportionality of Dyslexia in Texas Public and Charter School Districts

Description: Passed in 1985, the Texas Education Code (TEC) §38.003, Screening and Treatment of Dyslexia and Related Disorders, required public school districts and charters to identify and provide remediation services for students with dyslexia. While Texas was the first state to pass such a requirement, the question remains: What is the prevalence and proportionality of dyslexia in Texas public school districts and charters? In Phase 1 of this study, a secondary analysis using point prevalence and disprop… more
Access: Restricted to UNT Community Members. Login required if off-campus.
Date: August 2019
Creator: Sneed, Samantha
open access

Foundations of the Spanish Language Self-Efficacy of Bilingual Education Pre-Service Teachers

Description: The study of self-efficacy in pre-service bilingual education teachers is not a thoroughly researched topic. This dissertation provides qualitative research about the inception of Spanish language self-efficacy of pre-service bilingual education teachers from a large university in Texas. By juxtaposing the experiences of two students with high levels of Spanish self-efficacy with two students who have low levels of Spanish self-efficacy, data gives insight to what influenced varying perceptio… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Szwed, Amanda Rose
open access

Mathematics Teacher Motivation in the Context of Lesson Study with Open Approach

Description: Providing professional development to in-service teachers remains a high priority when attempting to meet state and federal school accountability requirements, yet principals may neglect teacher motivation and the teacher change process when facilitating teacher learning. Drawing on self-determination theory, this research examined social and environmental factors shaping teacher motivation in the context of lesson study with open approach. This descriptive case study included the perceptions o… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Petty, Clinton Scott
open access

The International Teacher to Teacher Exchange: A Context for Educator Transformation

Description: This study examined how in-service teachers transformed professionally and personally as a result of participation in the International Teacher to Teacher Exchange Program (ITTTE). Six teachers, 3 from the U.S. and 3 from Guatemala, were paired. Each pair spent a total of 8 weeks together, in each other's countries, over the course of 2 years. The pairs reciprocated home stays, school engagement, and cultural learning in three cohorts; 2012-2014, 2014-2016, 2016-2018. In 2018, each participant … more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Anderson, Amy A.
open access

Through the Eyes of an African American Female Educator: An Autoethnography of Culture and Race

Description: The purpose of this autoethnographic study was to critically examine my personal experiences with culture and race to better understand myself, my perceptions of culture and race, and how my perceptions of educators' interactions with culturally and racially diverse students may have been impacted as a result. Autoethnography is the study of self in which researchers draw on their own experiences to understand a culture or phenomenon. The following research questions guided the study: 1) what d… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Sipho, Delltra
open access

Educational Involvement of Nonresident Parents in the Decision-Making Process for Students with Disabilities Receiving Special Education and Related Services

Description: Although the population of children attending schools that came from single parent or remarried households is significant, school leaders have failed to institute policies regarding the involvement of nonresident parents. School districts should have procedures to educate personnel on the legal rights of nonresident parents. To avoid confusion concerning legal terms, the term "nonresident" had been utilized to describe a biological parent with whom the child did not reside. This differs from th… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Weidenbach, Jason L
open access

Prospective Early Childhood Teachers' Conceptions of Science Instruction

Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate prospective teachers' conceptions of science instruction prior to the commencement of their early childhood education methods courses. A sample of 100 prospective teachers' drawings and narratives were analyzed using the STLP3 instrument and inductive analysis respectively. Merging findings from the aforementioned analyses resulted in 10 distinct conceptions and these included: (a) science instruction (1) as a demonstration, (2) as engagement, (3) as… more
Date: August 2019
Creator: Muimongkol, Supreeya

The Effects of the IAM Workshop on Preservice Teachers' Perceptions and Attitudes on Integrating Art and Mathematics In Saudi Arabia

Description: This mixed-methods dissertation used an explanatory sequential design to examine art and mathematics preservice teachers' perceptions and attitudes towards integrating art and mathematics (IAM) after an IAM workshop. The conceptual framework of this study has its basis in three theoretical sources: constructivism, multiple intelligence theory, and semiotics. Each of these sources provides a conceptual lens to examine art integration in the curriculum and the teacher's role in facilitating this … more
Access: Restricted to UNT Community Members. Login required if off-campus.
Date: August 2019
Creator: Mereie, Iman Ali
Back to Top of Screen