VTechWorks Repository :: Browsing by Author "Barksdale, Mary Alice"

Browsing by Author "Barksdale, Mary Alice"

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An Action Research Study Using the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation to Increase Reading Motivation in an Elementary Classroom
Williams, Angela Marie Watson (Virginia Tech, 2013-07-16)
This study involved examination of the processes employed in tailoring fourth-grade reading instruction to increase levels of student motivation. A participatory action research approach was utilized to design and conduct reading instruction that fourth-grade students perceived to be motivating. The reading instructional program was designed using the five key components of the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation (eMpowerment, Usefulness, Success, Interest, and Caring; Jones, 2009) and was implemented daily in an elementary classroom. Students were interviewed to identify their perspectives about the reading program and student input was used by the teacher to inform instruction and adapt the program to increase motivation. The fourth-grade students in this study were motivated to read for a variety of reasons and enjoyed participating in numerous reading activities. The common theme among all of these motivating activities was personal choice or empowerment, such as selecting a book or choosing a topic of interest. When students made suggestions for improving reading instruction, most of the suggestions related to having the ability to make more meaningful choices. After the teacher implemented the suggestions and changes, the inventory scores for all five components of the MUSIC Model increased, with empowerment increasing slightly more than other components. Findings indicated that it was particularly important that students' voices were valued. The teacher finely honed the reading program based upon students' needs and ideas, resulting in increased reading motivation and achievement during a time when the motivation and achievement of fourth-grade students tends to decline.
Anxiety and attention in beginning readers
Barksdale, Mary Alice (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1988)
This study investigated the relationship between anxiety and attention in high and low anxiety readers during the reading of materials of verging difficulty levels. An A-state reading anxiety scale was developed for the purpose of identifying high end low reading anxiety participants. Response times to a secondary task were measured while high end low reading anxiety participants were engaged in orally reading materials at easy, average, and hard difficulty levels and when not engaged by a primary task. A repeated measures design was implemented to describe relations between response times to a secondary task and high and low A-state reading anxiety groups for a baseline measure and for the reading of easy, average, and hard materials. Response times served as the dependent measure. Reading anxiety groups (high and low) end difficulty levels (baseline, easy, average and hard) served as independent measures. Difficulty levels were identified relative to both comprehension scores and word recognition scores and analyses were conducted separately for difficulty levels as identified by comprehension scores and for difficulty levels as identified by miscue scores. The repeated measures analysis demonstrated a significant interaction effect between high and low anxiety groups and difficulty levels (baseline, easy, average, and hard). The results indicated that attention to the reading task differed for high and low anxiety readers at varied difficulty levels. It was demonstrated that high anxiety readers reached high levels of attention to reading materials only at easy reading levels. At average and hard reading levels, high anxiety readers were unable to maintain high levels of attention to the task. Low anxiety readers generally followed the predictions of the Yerkes-Dodson law (1908), allocating more attention to average reading tasks. Findings were discussed with regard to implications of the effects of anxiety on attention to reading and the development of this methodology.
Becoming a Teacher is a Journey for a Lifetime: The Biography of a Fourth Grade Writing Teacher
Webb, Nancy Hutchinson (Virginia Tech, 2004-04-06)
The purpose of this study was to see the lifetime literacy growth of one fourth-grade writing teacher, and to view her teaching from inside her classroom. This study follows the journey of an emerging teacher as she grew and developed into a professional educator. This study continues into her classroom to see her as she taught Writers’ Workshop, inspiring her students to write from their own life experiences. This qualitative study was conducted using participant observation, interviews, and artifacts to gather data. Through qualitative inquiry and thematic analysis, data were interpreted to gain insight into this teacher’s life and her teaching. The researcher’ s reflections, review of the literature, and eighteen years of experience as a teacher, brought a knowledgeable perspective that informed interpretation of the data. This study of Ruth’s life and her classroom was an inquiry into the processes of teacher development. Our view of teachers and their teaching is hidden by the nature of the job they do. Stories of the lives and work of teachers seek to illuminate the professional development of teachers and their teaching (Goodson, 1994; Jalongo & Isenberg, 1995; Schwarz, 2001). By closely studying the path of one teacher’s growth and teaching, the growth and teaching of all teachers are illuminated; by "weav[ing] together the themes throughout one teacher’s lifetime, [we] connect" ¦them to the lives of many different teachers' (Jalongo & Isenberg, 1995, p. 28). From this study, experiences of one teacher build and layer as years of teaching experience and professional development mingle together to change and enhance her knowledge of teaching and resulting classroom practice. The fourth-grade students in Ruth’s classroom were the recipients of their teacher’s literacy experiences that developed over her lifetime.
A Case Study of Grade-Level Meetings and Coaching Conversations
Salmon, Joseph L. (Virginia Tech, 2012-05-07)
The goal of this research project was to determine the content of the discourse occurring in grade-level meetings and coaching sessions and participants' perceptions of how the conversations in these two venues impacted learning and practice for individual teachers. Learning Forward's Standard for Professional Learning (2001) recommended that teachers organize into learning communities providing continuous learning opportunities to enhance adult learning and collaboration. Little (2003a) found that research was lacking that described the dynamics of communities of practice that promote teacher learning. It was in the content of the discourse that a proxy for evidence was found that the actions of the instructional coaches and grade-level meetings impact teacher growth. A case study was utilized to examine these structures and processes for job-embedded professional development at a school located in the eastern United States. Research questions focused on the nature of the discourse among teachers and coaches in the grade-level meetings and in individual coaching conversations. Teachers reported what they felt that they learned in the grade-level meetings and the coaching discussions. Additionally, teachers stated what they did differently as a result of this method of professional learning occurring in grade-level meetings and coaching discussions. Finally, the school's improvement plans were compared with the conversations in the grade-level meetings and coaching sessions. Verbatim transcriptions of recordings of grade-level meetings and coaching sessions provided data which revealed categories of content, coaching roles, and patterns of discourse. The goals of the meetings and coaching were to ensure communication about school district policies and to set expectations for teacher performance and student learning. Assertions generated provided patterns of discourse that identified roles of the principal, coaches, and teachers. This investigation utilized a descriptive content discourse analysis and found support for the finding that the actions of this emerging community of practice were directed by federal, state, and local polices for teacher performance and student learning. Patterns of discourse revealed roles of administration, coaches, and teachers as they collaborated to negotiate meaning through the building of a shared repertoire. Interview data revealed that these dynamics enhanced teacher growth in many cases; however, lack of teacher input may have limited some potential opportunities.
A case study of young Korean children's English learning experiences in the United states
Park, Eun-Soo (Virginia Tech, 2005-06-15)
The present study examined five Korean elementary students' English learning experiences in the United States. By examining Korean students' experiences while they were living in the United States, the study aimed to explore what the students themselves thought about regarding what they had learned while living in an English-speaking community and the students' perceptions of how these experiences influenced their English learning. Specifically, the study investigated the linguistic, cultural, and attitudinal impact of living temporarily in the United States on Korean elementary students. Interviewing was the primary means of collecting data for the study. These data was supplemented by a short survey, classroom observation, and relevant documentation about the children's learning, such as samples of the children's schoolwork. The analysis of data for this study began with organizing a description of each case, then, analyses were constructed to construct themes that cut across the data, and these themes have been utilized to generalize about what significant experiences constituted the development of English as a second language. This document reports the findings concerning the nature of the processes of learning and development that five Korean children experienced in learning English in the United States; teacher and student interaction; student and student interaction; meaningful learning experience; and classroom activities.
Class Conscious or Conscience Class: The Pedagogical Choices Teachers Make as Critical Literacy Practitioners
Woods, Daniel Richard (Virginia Tech, 2010-03-31)
In a time of high stakes tests and mounting pressures in favor of standardized curricula at all levels, teachers continue to work in the best interests of their students as is evidenced by their statements both public and private, their continued commitment to their profession, and their political actions. Indeed, many advocate loudly and repeatedly for their students and for maximal opportunities for those same students. Without doubt, many of these teachers aspire to help learners of all ages and from all sociocultural strata develop into not only critical readers, consumers, and even critical civic participants, but into citizens with active critical consciences and a lively critical consciousness of their own culture and the cultures of others. In this study, the author observed and interviewed two middle school teachers and two high school teachers—all English teachers—for purposes of examining the participants' teaching practice for identifiable acts and statements involving the promotion of critical literacy among learners in the teachers' classrooms. The observations and interviews were conducted across a contiguous three-day period for each participant during the same class period each day. Participants self-selected dates and class period, and also were aware of the purpose of the study, i.e. to look for critical literacy practices in teaching. All observations and interviews were coded inductively and used Strauss and Corbin's (1998) three-step coding process for grounded theory of open, axial, and selective coding. Teachers' observed actions and statements were subsequently analyzed in a constant comparative analysis.
Classroom Assessment in Malawi: Teachers' Perceptions and Practices in Mathematics
Susuwele-Banda, William John (Virginia Tech, 2005-01-30)
This study investigated teachers' perceptions of classroom assessment in mathematics and their current classroom assessments practices. Specifically, the study sought to gain an understanding of the extent to which teachers use different classroom assessment methods and tools to understand and to support both the learning and teaching processes. The following three questions guided the study: 1) How do primary school teachers perceive classroom assessment in mathematics? 2) What kinds of assessment methods and tools do teachers use to assess their students in mathematics? 3) What is the influence of teachers' perceptions of classroom assessment on their classroom assessment practices? The study used a questionnaire to establish the teachers' perceptions of classroom assessment in mathematics, a lesson observation protocol, and pre-lesson and post-lesson observation interview protocols as main sources of data collection. The data collected through observations and interviews helped to map out patterns between perceptions of classroom assessment and the teachers' classroom assessment practices. Document analysis was used to triangulate the information collected through observations and interviews. In addition, document analysis provided first hand information on the kind of written feedback students get and the nature of activities they do. A total of six teachers (three male and three female) were drawn from two primary schools in Malawi. The data suggest that teachers perceive classroom assessment as tests that teachers give to their students at specified time intervals. What teachers said about their teaching was not reflected during their teaching. Since teachers perceived classroom assessment as tests, they showed limited ability to use different methods and tools to assess their students while teaching. The teachers' perceptions of classroom assessment have influence on their classroom assessment practices. Five of the six teachers perceived assessment as testing, and classroom assessment practices were not clearly embedded in their teaching. Teacher experience and teacher education program did not seem to contribute much to teachers' perceptions of classroom assessment; however, teacher's academic qualification seemed to influence teachers' flexibility to accept new ideas.
The Cultivation of a Teacher in a Classroom Community
Mottley, Melinda (Virginia Tech, 2003-05-02)
The purpose of this study was to examine the dilemmas and tensions the researcher encountered as a teachers in a university-based lab school. Specifically, she examined the tensions within the context of the seemingly contradictory role expectations that were required of her as a student who was also a teacher. This autobiographical form of self study was based on the principles of action research, of linking theory and practice through a cyclical process of action and reflection. The findings were reported in a narrative form and describe the process of how one woman came to know and understand herself as a teacher and an individual through her life inside and outside of the classroom.
Developing White Teachers' Sociocultural Consciousness Through African American Children's Literature: A Case Study of Three Elementary Educators
Catherwood, Lauren Elizabeth (Virginia Tech, 2015-12-08)
Changing the existing framework for how schools operate and the "deficit frame of reference" for students of color begins with teacher awareness of differing social and cultural norms and values that privilege some and oppress others (Villegas and Lucas, 2002). These normalized cultural values are exacerbated by the fact that they are generally "invisible" to the white teacher majority. Quaye (2012) and Zuniga et al. (2002) use the term "consciousness-raising" to describe the process of developing an awareness of these norms and values. Using a Critical Race Theory lens, this study aimed to capture the process of "consciousness-raising" in a white teacher book club examining ten different African American children's picture books. The study design was supported by an Intergroup Dialogue model, developed by Zuniga et al. (2002) and adapted for white facilitators by Quaye (2012). Data Analysis was guided by a continuum of white racial identity developed by Helms (1990) and modified by Lawrence and Tatum (1998). Transcripts of participant narratives were analyzed for signs of status change along the continuum and each teacher demonstrated varying degrees of socio-cultural awareness. The researcher journal was analyzed to capture reflections on the Intergroup Dialogue Model for facilitation. Principal findings of the study include the replication of themes found in the existing whiteness literature as well as the value and limitations of the continuum of white racial identity as a tool for analysis.
Dialogue Journals: Literacy Transactions of Fourth-Grade Students
Sigmon, Miranda Lee (Virginia Tech, 2016-05-05)
This study was designed to explore written responses of dialogue journals in a fourth-grade social studies classroom to better understand individuals' meaning-making responses during content-based lessons. The Transactional Theory of Literacy acknowledges that readers generate individualized experiences as they transact with literacy. Although Rosenblatt focused explicitly on the transactions readers make with text, this study expands the idea of these transactions to the more current, unbounded definition of text. Writing could be the tool used for students to record these transactions that lead to their continuously changing, individualized understandings. Through journals, students conversed with one another using written dialogue in the continued generation or restructuring of existing understandings in response to exposure of a content-specific text. The following research questions were addressed in the study: How do written responses of fourth-grade students made in dialogue journals express students' understandings of content-based lessons? 2) To what extent do dialogue journals motivate students in content-based lessons? Analysis of dialogue journals showed evidence of varying levels of understanding, the effective use of journals as a communication tool, and differences in statement types depending on journal audience and content materials used. The MUSIC Model Inventory (Jones, 2009) used to assess perceptions of motivational constructs related to use of dialogue journals in social studies lessons yielded positive results for all constructs measured. Therefore, the results of the study including word count findings, qualitative journal analysis, and observational files clearly showed evidence of dialogue journals being a motivating way of having students express their understandings of content-based texts.
The Effect of Active Learning on Academic Motivation Among Pre-Service Teachers
Caruso, Caryn Marie (Virginia Tech, 2021-04-15)
The active learning assignment, Pink Time, provides an opportunity to experience and reflect upon learning that may both benefit individuals and contribute to high-quality teaching. Previous studies have found that Pink Time supports university students' motivation and comprehension of the learning process (Baird et al., 2020, Baird et al., 2015). The present study examined the impact of an active learning assignment, Pink Time, on pre-service elementary teachers' motivated-related perceptions. A multiple method approach offers an understanding of the extent to which Pink Time influences the three psychological needs that are a part of Self-Determination Theory (SDT). This theory provides a framework to examine three key components of motivation: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. A sample of 28 pre-service teachers participated in two Pink Time iterations over two different courses. Quantitative data was collected through 21 responses on the MUSIC Model of Academic Inventory (Jones, 2012, 2020) with open-ended response questions to perceptions related to empowerment (autonomy), usefulness, success (competence), interest, and caring (relatedness). Qualitative data was collected using five interviews, four group discussions, and 21 responses to the open-ended survey questions on the MUSIC Model Inventory. The findings imply that Pink Time is a useful tool to support pre-service teachers' perception of motivation in areas of empowerment, usefulness, success, interest, and caring. Implications of this study include contributions to classroom assignments in teacher education programs that support motivation which results in high-quality teachers. Pink Time may also be used in the PK-12 setting for both students and teachers. Supporting PK-12 students in pursuing interests and increasing motivation is pertinent to academic success. Educational leaders could offer teachers professional development opportunities through Pink Time where teachers seek out their interests to support their own professional growth and uniquely contribute to school-level outcomes such as inclusive learning environments, effective online/virtual learning, and wellness.
The Effects of Context-Dependency of Seductive Details on Recall and Transfer in a Multimedia Learning Environment
Ozdemir, Devrim (Virginia Tech, 2009-05-19)
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of context-dependency of seductive details on recall and transfer in multimedia learning environments. Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, the purpose was to identify context-dependent vs. context-independent seductive details in a lightning animation. Seductive details were considered as interesting yet irrelevant sentences in the narration of lightning animation. Sixty-seven undergraduate students participated in Experiment 1 and assigned interestingness scores to the 28 content irrelevant sentences. Participants were assigned to two different groups, context-dependent seductive details group (CDSD) and context-independent seductive details group (CISD). Participants in the CDSD group assigned interestingness scores after watching a lightning animation to be familiarized with the context of lightning formation. Participants in the CISD group watched a historical inquiry animation as a distraction task before assigning interestingness scores. The results of Experiment 1 revealed that 13 of 28 sentences in the lightning formation text were seductive details according to participants of the study. Ultimately, 6 of the 13 seductive details were determined to be context-dependent and 7 were determined to be seductive details were context-independent. The purpose of Experiment 2 was to investigate the effects of context-dependency of seductive details on recall and transfer in multimedia learning environments. Undergraduate students (n = 184) were randomly assigned into four groups. Participants in all groups watched a lightning animation, and performed a recall and a transfer task. The first group watched an animation that did not include any seductive details. The second group watched the animation with context-dependent seductive details only. The third group watched the animation with context-independent seductive details only. The last group watched the animation with both types of seductive details. A 2x2 ANOVA for both recall and transfer, and contrast analyses were conducted to determine the effects of context-dependency of seductive details on recall and transfer. The results indicated that there was no significant effect of context-dependency of seductive details on recall or transfer. The findings are discussed in the context of the related literature and directions for future research are suggested.
The Effects of Small Group Vocabulary Instruction on Second Grade Students' Expressive Vocabularies
Fariss, Laura Lester (Virginia Tech, 2013-08-05)
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of small group vocabulary instruction above and beyond whole group, read aloud vocabulary instruction, on second grade students' expressive vocabularies. This experimental study reflected a between-subjects design as three treatment groups were compared using a pretest, posttest within subjects variable methodology. A small group instructional intervention was administered to a treatment group in addition to the whole group, read-aloud based vocabulary instruction that the alternative treatment group received. Data was collected over an eight week intervention period. Results indicated that small group vocabulary instruction led to greater gains in second grade students' expressive use of target words than did read aloud-based instruction or no instruction (control). Additionally, students who received small group instruction retained more target word knowledge over time than students who did not receive small group instruction. Implications for practice and future research are included.
Elementary Preservice Teachers' Thinking about Student Learning in a Lesson Study Context
Aker, Lisa Denise (Virginia Tech, 2018-07-02)
Building on the epistemological foundations of constructivism (Creswell, 2014) and qualitative research methodologies, a FADE framework (Reinking and Bradley, 2008) and a case study approach (Merriam, 2002) were selected to develop an understanding of preservice teachers' thinking about student learning during their planning, teaching, and reflection through the lesson study (Lewis, 2009) process. Through qualitative methodology, the triangulation of data occurred using qualitative data sources: (a) pre and post interviews, (b) participatory field notes, (c) research lesson plans, (d) debriefing interviews, (e) field notes created by the preservice teachers. Each data source was analyzed individually and then compared across the case providing a deeper understanding of how preservice teachers think about student learning in the context of lesson study including how: (a) preservice teacher grew their thinking about student learning, (b) preservice teachers were better able to observe and look for evidence of thinking about students' learning, (c) the lesson study process allowed them to work as a team, (d) they associated lesson study with being a positive learning experience. This research provides additional insight into how teacher preparation programs can strengthen preservice teachers learning in classrooms through lesson study (Darling-Hammond, 2009; Lewis, 2009; Lewis et al., 2012). It also provides opportunities for further research on connecting planning, reflection, and teaching practices as well as, how to build connections between mentor teachers, preservice teachers, and teacher preparation programs (Parks, 2009).
An Examination of Elementary Learners' Transactions with Diverse Children's Books
Tackett, Mary Elizabeth (Virginia Tech, 2016-06-24)
This study was designed to explore the transactional relationship between young learners and diverse texts. Students' perceptions toward difference are shaped by prior, lived experiences, and books provide students with virtual experiences of diversity, which can lead to transformative possibilities. This study explored: (1) How can children's picture books about autism be used to create transformative opportunities in an elementary classroom, and (2) What types of responses do primary students have when transacting with children's picture books about autism? Through the use of a formative experiment methodology aligned with Rosenblatt's Transactional Theory of the Literary Work (1978), interventions involving (a) a teacher read aloud, (b) student journal writing, and (c) class discussion allowed second grade students to transact both aesthetically and efferently with diverse texts about autism. Examination of student responses was a qualitative, iterative process that utilized the Constant Comparative method (Strauss and Corbin, 1998), and intervention data was triangulated with researcher field notes and pre and post-intervention student interviews. Analysis led to a deeper understanding of transactional response, including how (a) increasing awareness cultivates deeper connections with diverse texts, (b) prior perceptions and experiences influence evocation and response, and (c) diverse texts provide necessary virtual experiences with diversity. Student responses during transaction also revealed a process of growth in which students oscillated between various levels of introspection by (a) gaining awareness though an insightful view of diversity (developing understanding of difference/defining and explaining autism), (b) reflecting on similarities to gain an understanding of difference (journeying through the text), and (c) using texts as a reflexive tool and gateway toward acceptance (affirming care and responsibility). This study gives insight into how transacting with diverse texts can provide students with opportunities to explore diversity and increase their knowledge and understanding of difference in order to create a more accepting and equitable culture.
The Experiences and Perceptions of African American Males and Their Elementary Teachers
Erwin, Kimberly Danielle (Virginia Tech, 2011-03-23)
This phenomenological research investigation explored the African American males' perceptions of activities and learning opportunities that take place in the classroom and how these experiences influenced their academic success. Using the theoretical lens or perspective of critical race theory (CRT), the researcher examined the capital second-, third-, and fourth-grade African American male participants bring into the classroom setting and how this capital relates to the structure of the social and academic realm within the school environment. Additionally, the researcher examined the instructional practices of these students's teachers and how these practices matched and supported the perceptions of this group of students or possible when the instructional practices indicated a disconnect or mismatch to the student's academic or social needs. The researcher utilized four salient questions to examine these issues: (1) What are the perceptions/interpretations of African American male students and their teachers about their school experiences?; (2) How do the teachers interpret their own teaching practices, particularly with regard to these children?; (3) How do the needs of African American male students influence the teaching practices of their teachers; and (4) How do their perceptions and interpretations mirror each other and differ? The following four themes emerged from an inductive analysis of data: (1) teacher and student perceptions of their learning experiences, (2) teacher practices, (3) teacher needs superseded those of the students, and (4) misaligned perceptions and interpretations. Implications for K-12 teachers and administrators as well as for teacher educators are included, and future research questions are proposed for research scholars.
Graphic Organizers: Toward Organization and Complexity of Student Content Knowledge
Watson, Carol Elizabeth (Virginia Tech, 2005-08-26)
Within the current national atmosphere of accountability and high-stakes testing, many teachers are changing their instruction to return to more traditional strategies that emphasize rote memorization. As a result, classroom curriculum and student learning are narrowing. This study sought to explore the potential of graphic organizers as an instructional strategy to expand student content knowledge beyond rote memorization to include more organized, complex, meaningful learning. For the purpose of this study, graphic organizers are described as visual displays of concepts, their component parts, and the relationships among their parts. This study was conducted over a six week period in a third grade classroom in a rural elementary school in Virginia. Ten focus students were identified for in-depth data collection on their learning process as recorded during science instruction. Although existing research strongly supports graphic organizer effectiveness as an instructional strategy toward general student achievement, little is known about the type of learning they support or the process by which students' knowledge develops. Thus, this research utilized qualitative methodological strategies in order to investigate this process. Data collection methods included field notes, student artifacts, and participant interviews. Constant comparative methodology was employed to analyze data. The theoretical framework of constructivism, espousing that newly acquired information is connected to prior knowledge forming complex, organized networks of conceptual understanding, guided this qualitative study. Findings resulted in emergent themes including student motivation, simplicity, efficiency, visual hierarchical organization, reconstructing knowledge, and cooperative socialization. Documentation of the learning process as opposed to a comparison of pre/post measurements clearly indicated that student thinking gradually became more complex and organized in nature. As students worked with graphic organizers, and participated in study activities, their knowledge moved from a form of listing facts to resemble more complex, interconnected networks. Implications of this study for practice include appropriate instruction and practice for students with graphic organizers as a strategy and a tool, value as an assessment tool, and potential for use with complex classroom populations. Suggestions for future research are given for teacher training on how to use graphic organizers effectively, interdisciplinary use of graphic organizers within one context, potential benefit for struggling and diverse learners, a continuing focus on process as opposed to product, and an examination of the connection between graphic organizer activities and sorting.
Identity Formation and the Development of Self in Early Career Teachers
Hale, Kimberly Danielle (Virginia Tech, 2005-04-21)
Many aspects of teaching involve the personal dimension of teaching and yet this dimension is often neglected and overlooked as we prepare teachers and sustain teachers in their work. The personal beliefs, attitudes and emotions of teachers often determine the decisions that teachers make in their classrooms. Increasingly, educational researchers have found that effective teachers are aware of this dimension. The aim of this study was to better understand how teachers' self perceptions and understandings of teaching evolve and change across their professional lives and what events contribute to these understandings. A series of in-depth individual interviews were conducted with six early career public education teachers who were also alumni of the graduate teacher education program at Virginia Tech. Interview data were supplemented with a review of artifacts from preservice teacher education program, visual representations of teacher identity development at various stages over the career of teaching and a timeline of significant events encountered during the teaching career. Results of this research suggest that teachers' understandings of the multiple complexities of teaching deepen within the first years of teaching; teaching is emotional work; and the context of teaching heavily influences teachers' practice of teaching regardless of their beliefs about teaching. Suggestions for university teacher education programs and local school districts are discussed.
Implementing Integrated Literacy Approaches in an English Classroom in Malawi
Mmela, Edith (Virginia Tech, 2006-04-04)
The purpose of the study was to discover how teachers learn to teach. This was done through the process of answering the question "How does a teacher acting as a co-researcher come to understand the learner-centered integrated literacy approaches in an English classroom in Malawi?" The learner-centered integrated literacy approaches is a concept derived from a constructivist philosophy of teaching. English is an important language in Malawi because it is the official language (Kayambazinthu, 1998). For that reason children are motivated to learn it as a second language. However, their achievement in English is critically low (Banda, Mchikoma, Chimombo, & Milner, 2001;Kishindo, Susuwere, Ndalama & Mwale, 2005; Williams, 1993). According to Ministry of Education and UNICEF (1998) and Williams (1993) teachers' complete reliance on traditional teacher-centered approaches was believed to be one of the major causes of school children's failure to acquire English as a second language for their literacy development in Malawi. The assumption was that improving teacher practice by introducing constructivists-based, learner-centered, integrated literacy approaches, which are believed to be more effective for second language learning, than the former, would illuminate how teachers learn and ultimately improve teacher education practices and consequently teacher English teaching in the classroom. Data were collected from pre- and post-study interviews, a series of audio taped lesson planning and lesson reflections, lesson observation summaries, and a researcher's journal. Data analysis and interpretation suggested that teacher learning is a gradual developmental process that depended very much on other interlaced processes of collaboration, inquiry, and reflective practice. It also demonstrated that the learner-centered integrated literacy approaches of the constructivism-based philosophy, which are also included in the Malawi curriculum but implementation is still a challenge in the primary classes, are possible. The results and process of the study could be used to improve teacher learning in Malawi. Finally, the study experience has illuminated the need for more exploration in the new areas of growth in English literacy.
The Influence of Science Teacher Preparation Programs on Instructional Practices of Beginning Primary School Teachers in Malawi
Kalande, Wotchiwe Mtonga (Virginia Tech, 2006-10-17)
The purpose of this study was to observe the science teaching practices of six primary school teachers in Standards 5 through 7, to learn about their perceptions of teaching science and to examine whether or not their teaching practices were in keeping with what they were taught during teacher preparation as well as Malawi's educational expectations for primary school science based upon MIITEP (Malawi Integrated In-service Teacher Education Program) handbooks. Three research questions were posited: (a) What is the teacher preparation program for primary teachers in Malawi? (b) What were the instructional practices of the six beginning primary school science teachers who were prepared in the teacher training college programs? (c) What connections were evident between what beginning primary school science teachers were expected to learn and what they demonstrated in the classroom? All of the six participants (5 males and 1 female) had completed MIITEP in the past three to five years. The data sources for these science teachers included a self-assessment form, pre-observation interviews, post-observation interviews, and lesson observations. Data were also gathered from MIITEP handbooks and three science teacher educators who were interviewed. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis. The study revealed that there were matches, partial matches, and mismatches between what the six primary school teachers demonstrated in their classroom as compared with the Malawi Ministry of Education science teacher preparation expectations. Of particular interest were that science teachers did not fully engage pupils in most of the process skills for science teaching, nor did they utilize a variety of appropriate teaching and learning strategies and materials for teaching science. In addition, allotted time for teaching science lessons was not fully utilized due to, among other factors, time conflicts with other official and community welfare duties, and mixing English with vernacular during teaching. Implications for practice and for further research have also been suggested.

Browsing by Author "Barksdale, Mary Alice"

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