ScholarWorks @ ACE Library

ACE ScholarWorks is an open access institutional repository showcasing and preserving the research, scholarship, and publications of American College of Education faculty, staff, and students. ACE ScholarWorks is a service provided by the ACE Library.

 

Recent Submissions

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Closing Academic Gaps of Students with Disabilities in Middle School General Education Settings: A Qualitative Case Study of Teachers in Rural Georgia
(2024-03-19) Anderson, Shelley
Significant academic gaps have existed between students with disabilities (SWDs) and nondisabled peers served in general education settings. The problem was students with disabilities served in general education settings were not showing progress in closing academic gaps at a rate consistent with nondisabled peers, and the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore teachers’ perceptions concerning effectiveness of current instructional practices relative to the achievements of students with disabilities in closing academic gaps in middle school general education settings. A middle school in Northwest Georgia was the site utilized, and the research was based on a theoretical framework centered around constructivist theory and universal design for learning. Using purposeful sampling, 17 participants consisting of both special and general educators, were recruited. The research questions focused on practices employed in general education classrooms for SWDs, what teachers perceived as effective for academic growth, and teacher perceptions of why SWDs served in general education settings fail to close academic gaps at a rate consistent with nondisabled peers. Participants completed open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Data was collected, transcribed, coded, and analyzed to determine emerging patterns. This study explored current instructional practices, strategies, and PD needs to potentially assist in closing existing academic gaps experienced by SWDs served in general education settings. Findings suggested differentiated instruction, concept remediation, and individualized strategies were necessary for academic success. Other practices were viewed as important for addressing the diverse needs of SWDs including structured learning environments and appropriate training for staff.
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Effects of Value-Added Models on Elementary Teachers' Self-Efficacy and Stress Levels: A Quasi-Experimental Quantitative Study
(2024-03) Kessler, Jasmine Dutton
Teachers in 13 states are evaluated using value-added models (VAMs), a measure of student growth on standardized tests. The problem is that value-added models evaluate intermediate-level teachers' ability to have students perform on a standardized assessment despite other factors affecting students’ academic performance, such as socioeconomic factors and language, which could impact teacher stress and self-efficacy (Amrein-Beardsley, 2019). Research has focused on the stress and self-efficacy of teachers related to standardized testing, yet there is a gap in the literature analyzing the potential effects of VAMs on stress and self-efficacy. The theoretical foundation intersected Bandura's self-efficacy theory and Lazarus and Folkman's transactional theory of stress and coping. Research questions were developed to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference in the stress and self-efficacy of teachers evaluated using VAMs and not evaluated using VAMs. The purpose of the quasi-experimental study was to examine the possible effects of VAM evaluations by comparing teachers evaluated using VAMs and those that are not evaluated using VAMs. A quasi-experimental design used purposive sampling to collect a sample of 53 classroom teachers teaching for at least 3 years. Survey data were collected using SurveyMonkey. A Mann-Whitney U-test was run through Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results indicated no statistically significant difference in stress levels or self-efficacy between teachers evaluated using VAMs and teachers not evaluated using VAMs. Leaders should survey the stress and self-efficacy of their staff to support their needs better and create a supportive work environment.
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Educators' Inhibitors to Risk Taking: A Qualitative Case Study
(2023-12) Bringold, Levi
When educators create a culture of taking risks in the classroom, both learners and educators benefit from boosts to creativity, positivity, and innovation, while maintaining challenges for the learner. However, several factors inhibit educators from taking risks in the classroom. By identifying the intrinsic and extrinsic inhibitors, collaborative efforts can be taken to remove those barriers. Existing research has determined specific inhibitors that impact teachers and how to remove barriers. Still, it has not been committed to identifying intrinsic and extrinsic inhibitors of risk-taking by teachers in the classroom. This qualitative case study aims to identify teachers' inhibitions toward implementing risk-taking instructional approaches such as differentiated instruction. Semi-structured interviews were completed with 16 K-12 educators from public and parochial schools in Michigan to establish self-identified internal and external inhibitors and how educators address them. Fear and conscience incapacity emerged as intrinsic inhibitors, and relationships, available resources, and COVID-19 emerged as extrinsic inhibitors. School leaders need to use this information to identify which inhibitors are most prevalent with teachers in their building and to remove them using a collaboratively developed plan effectively.
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Influence of Social Emotional Learning and Social Presence: A Qualitative Case Study
(2024-02) Rivera-Santana, Valerie
The problem was the lack of SEL and social presence practices in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused student engagement to decline. The purpose was to explore educator perceptions of how SEL social presence practices affect student engagement during the transition from traditional learning. Grounded in social constructivism and social presence theories, this study aimed to fill the gap in the literature review, emphasizing the need for further investigation into the combined effects of SEL instruction and social presence practices on student engagement. Key research questions were used to answer how educators perceive the impact of explicit SEL instruction and social presence practices on student engagement online. The study employed an intrinsic qualitative case study methodology, targeting educators teaching grades 5–12 from 2018–2022. A purposive criterion sampling method was utilized to select 15 educators who shifted from traditional to online teaching during the pandemic. The five analytic phases model for content analysis combined with open coding and in vivo coding identified patterns and themes in data collected from individual interviews and a focus group. Findings revealed two major themes: the necessity of SEL and social presence to enhance student engagement online and the challenges and opportunities in implementing SEL and social presence online. The conclusion was that these practices must be incorporated into virtual learning. Recommendations include changes to policies and practices such as training and parental involvement. Findings benefit learners, educators, policymakers, and researchers as they shape the future of engaging and effective online learning.
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Elementary Teachers’ Use of Reflection as a Professional Development Practice: A Qualitative Study
(2024-02) Dempsey, Karen
Sparse information exists on how elementary teachers might use reflective journaling as a tool for professional development (PD) to enhance their teaching methods. The problem is that even though elementary teachers have access to a variety of PD opportunities, these opportunities are often insufficient for meeting individual teachers’ needs to support reflection of their classroom teaching practices. Therefore, teacher PD sessions may be unproductive and unconnected to the participating teachers. Reflective practice is crucial for adult independent learning. Aligned with this concept, the theories of andragogy and transformative learning constituted the study’s theoretical foundation. The purpose of the basic qualitative study was to explore in-service elementary teachers’ perspectives of the use of visual journals as a method of individualized PD through reflection on their classroom teaching practices. Teachers’ perspectives on the PD method, emphasized in the research questions, spotlighted the existing literature gap on elementary teachers’ perceptions of journal writing and reflective practice using a visual reference. The study included 23 elementary teachers from a single school district who participated in reflective visual journaling over 3 weeks and submitted eight entries. After the reflective period, the participants completed a questionnaire to indicate the effectiveness of the journaling process. The two data sources were coded using thematic analysis, and the results appeared in tables. The study yielded two noteworthy findings about elementary teachers’ usage of visual reflective journals: student interactions and personal and professional strengths and limitations.