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The Perceived Influence of the Pre-Referral Process on General Education Teachers' Collective Efficacy
No full textThis research study explored the perceived influence of the pre-referral process on elementary general education teachers’ collective efficacy. At the time of this study, literature on the pre-referral process had shown that teachers were more likely to implement processes that they believed to be fair and appropriate for students (Curtis et al., 2014; Papalia-Berardi & Hall, 2007). Additionally, research had shown that the inclusion of certain best practices within the pre-referral process resulted in an increase in effectiveness of the process. There was limited research however, that investigated if research-based best practices of the pre-referral process influenced teachers’ beliefs in the process. Examining general education teachers’ collective efficacy was imperative because teachers are the professionals who are expected to initiate the pre-referral process and implement interventions. Research has shown that pre-referral processes are more likely to be implemented if teachers believe those processes will help students (Papalia-Berardi & Hall, 2007). A group’s collective efficacy can affect how much effort the group puts into their endeavor (Bandura, 1998). Therefore, investigating the influence of the pre-referral process on general education teachers’ collective efficacy, as well as which best practices influence the collective efficacy, is essential information for the educational field to improve pre-referral processes to include practices that teachers believe support students.
This descriptive, mixed methods, multiple case study investigated the pre-referral process at the elementary school level and how that process influenced elementary general education teachers’ collective efficacy. The results of this study indicated that the pre-referral process influenced teachers’ perceptions that their staff was able to do what was best for students through the pre-referral process. Some common practices that influenced teacher perceptions of the process were overall communication between all professionals throughout the process, the personality and communication style of case managers, and general education teacher inclusion on the Pre-referral Intervention Team (PIT).
The results of this study can provide information as to which best practices within the process contribute to teachers’ perceptions of its effectiveness, which can increase collective efficacy and implementation
A Qualitative Descriptive Multiple Case Study Exploring Stakeholders' Perspectives of Social Skills Transfer with Students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder
No full textThe prevalence of Autism is increasing each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018) report 1 in 59 children have a disability of Autism. The main purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to determine in what ways social skills transfer was evident in the general education setting and the home environment. The second purpose was to examine the preparedness of general education teachers and parents for the implementation of practices to encourage social-emotional learning in either the general education classroom and home/community environments.
There is a push for students with Autism to be educated alongside their typically developing peers in the general education. One of the main characteristics of students with a disability of Autism is that they have difficulty forming and maintaining social relationships. Despite the concepts taught during social skills instruction in an isolated setting, there was a lack of transfer of social skills in the general education setting. The current case study encompassed four individual case studies and utilized methods of observation and interviews. This multiple-case study collected data through the use of direct observation and interviews with parents, general educations teachers, and a social skills specialist.
The findings indicated there was a lack of understanding of autism and social communication, consistent collaboration among the general education teacher, social skills specialist and parent was lacking, general education teachers required support to transfer social skills into the general education setting, and the carryover of skills in the home and community environments was disconnected. This study concluded that social skills transference was evident across settings but there was a need for parent training, push in support to model appropriate social skills strategies, professional development for teachers, and more collaboration among staff
Freshmen Peer Mentoring Program: A Case Study of Student Mentors in a High School Mentoring Program
No full textExisting research on peer-to-peer mentoring has focused mainly on cross-age peer mentoring with several years difference between mentor and mentees (Karcher, 2005, 2007; Willis, Bland, Manka, & Craft, 2012) and the impact of peer mentoring on the mentee. The aim of this exploratory study was to examine the relationship between high school senior mentors participating in a high school based peer-to-peer mentoring program and their experience and perceptions as a result of being a part of the mentoring program. This study was conducted to obtain information about a mentoring program through the lens of the twelfth-grade student mentors at a predominately African-American high school. These students were able to reflect on what it means to be a senior mentor, why they chose to become a mentor and share their experience as a senior mentor. The experience of the peer mentors involved in a high school peer mentoring program is an area that has not been sufficiently investigated. This exploratory case study used data from individual interviews, a focus group and observations to understand the experiences of mentors during their time in the program. This study served to inform school leaders on the experience of senior mentors in a peer-mentoring program and how the mentors viewed their role while involved in a high school peer mentoring program
A Case Study of the Collaborative Efforts Between the Migrant Education Program and a Pennsylvania School District to Promote Active Engagement and a Supportive Environment for the Migrant Families
No full textMigrant children frequently display vast discrepancies in well-being, including health, mortality, school performance and attainment, and access to family and community resources. These and other inequalities are also evident in adulthood. Migrant students face multiple barriers to academic achievement, high school completion, and post-secondary attainment. Due to the risk factors and challenges that migrant students face, it is evident that an extensive partnership is needed to provide effective services. Often these partnerships are formed between local educational agencies, such as a school district and an Intermediate Unit (IU) Migrant Education Program (MEP). To gain a deeper understanding of the research problem, a qualitative case study was conducted to address the research questions investigating the collaborative relationship between the ZCIU-MEP and the Cedarwood School District. This study explored the acculturative needs of the migrant families and how they were supported by the ZCIU-MEP and the school district. Recommendations for ways practices could be replicated in similar school districts were provided.
Participants were either employed by the ZCIU-MEP or by the school district. Data were collected through individual semi-structured open-ended interviews and questionnaires. The following five central themes related to the collaborative relationship between the MEP and the school district emerged via the coding process: (1) supporting MEP families; (2) understanding MEP acculturative needs; (3) collaboration; (4) parental involvement; and (5) communication.
Recommendations were made to provide meaningful learning opportunities for school districts to strengthen school-family-community partnerships. By having successful collaboration and communication with migrant parents and community agencies, school districts could help to promote a welcoming environment for migrant families and support their acculturative needs. The researcher recommended future research be conducted in investigating MEP parents’ perspectives and understandings on their involvement in their child’s education. In line with Joyce Epstein’s model on school-family-community partnerships, the researcher recommended that future research be conducted on MEP parents’ current acculturative needs in light of the recent political policies regarding immigration and family separation. Findings from this study justified the importance of cultivating school-family-community partnerships with migrant families as a focus for current educational research
A Study of Facebook Usage and Experience and Attachment Style Among Adult Age Categories
No full textThe current study investigated the relationship between Facebook use and experience and attachment styles among age categories. Six subscales of Facebook use and experience were investigated, and include: Facebook usage, Facebook attachment, Facebook openness, Facebook positivity, Facebook comfort seeking, and Facebook evaluation concern. Four subscales of attachment styles were investigated: secure attachment, preoccupied (anxious) attachment, fearful (avoidant) attachment, and dismissing attachment. Three age categories were investigated: 18 – 29 (young adults), 30 – 49 (middle age adults), and 50 – 64 (older adults). In order to examine these variables, quantitative methods were utilized along with a correlational and comparative design. Analysis concluded that there are significant differences between Facebook use and experience and attachment style among the three age categories. It was also found that there were significant differences in Facebook use within the same attachment category. The findings in this study suggest that future research on Facebook use and experience and attachment style should include age categories as a variable, as well, as instruments that have already been established to consider age differences; such as, Psychosocial Stages of Development, the Faith Maturity Scale, Faith Development Scale, and Attachment to God Scale
Lived Experiences Related to Acculturative Stress Among Undocumented Mexican Adults in a Mid-Atlantic State
No full textFramed by the stress and coping theory (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), the phenomenological
qualitative dissertation study presented here focuses on the lived experiences related to acculturative stress within a number of specific life domains among undocumented Mexican adults living in a mid-Atlantic state. Through a series of in-depth interviews, this study sought to capture challenges and coping strategies within a variety of contexts of acculturation stress or life domains identified by Cervantes, Fisher, Padilla, and Napper (2016) in their extensive qualitative study with Latino adults. These life domains include pre-migration stress, immigration-related stress, discrimination stress, occupation and economic stress, language-related stress, marital stress, marital acculturation gap stress, parental stress, family-related stress, and health stress.
The study revealed that the life of the undocumented immigrant is exposed to numerous
sources of stress. It also revealed that the anti-immigrant environment in the U.S. strongly impacts the undocumented Mexican immigrants who participated in this study. Five themes were identified that illuminate the experiences of acculturative stress throughout the immigrant’s life domains: fear of deportation, discrimination and racism, poverty and low socioeconomic level, physical and mental health risks, and risks for family. The study also identified three themes in relation to the ways undocumented Mexican adults cope with acculturative stress: familismo, spiritual and religious coping, and personal resources.
This study not only contributes valuable research to an area that has been largely overlooked in the literature but also provides crucial information relevant to service providers working with undocumented Mexican immigrants, including counselors, pastoral counselors, and other mental health professionals, social workers, and immigration-related specialists
A Comparative Study of the Catholic Elementary Schools as Perceived by the Pastors, Principals and Teachers
No full textThe sustainability and viability of Catholic schools has been the focus of researchers for decades. This quantitative study investigated the perceptions of governing pastors, principals and veteran teachers in the parish and regional elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (AOP) with regard to their school’s alignment with the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools ([NSBECS] Ozar & Weitzel-O’Neill, 2012). The study extended the RayTimoney (2015) study which utilized the NSBECS and the related Catholic Identity Defining Characteristics (CIDC) and Catholic Identity Program Effectiveness (CIPE) surveys to study parish and regional elementary schools in the AOP.
A quantitative, non-experimental comparative design utilizing the CIDC and the CIPE surveys was used to collect data. Fifty-six parish and regional elementary schools in the AOP participated in the study. Four research questions guided the investigation of the variances between and the correlations among the perceptions of the governing pastors, principals and veteran teachers. Data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA and v Pearson’s Correlation. Two statistically significant differences were revealed. A post hoc pairwise comparison analysis of CIDC data indicated a statistically significant difference between perceptions of governing pastors and principals regarding the Defining Characteristics. The one-way ANOVA of Academic Excellence indicated a significant difference between the perceptions of the principals and veteran teachers.
No significant relationships were found in the Defining Characteristics. In Program Effectiveness, relationships among governing pastors and principals were strong or moderately strong and significant at the .01 level across all domains; all relationships were positive. The strongest relationships were among governing pastors and veteran teachers in Governance and Leadership domain. The weakest relationships were among principals and veteran teachers in the Academic Excellence domain.
The study affirmed the strong Catholic Identity of the parish and regional schools in the AOP. The Defining Characteristics and four domains of Program Effectiveness articulated in the NSBECS (Ozar & Weitzel-O’Neill, 2012) are operative in the parish and regional schools in the AOP. Responses indicated a need for attention in Academic Excellence and Operational Vitality. Implications for local leaders, diocesan leaders and institutions of higher education are presented
Pastors on Mental Health Service Utilization and Counseling in the Black Catholic Community: The Lived Experiences
No full textDue to significant trust issues brought about by the legacy of slavery, racial discrimination, and related socio-economic differences in American society which still persist today, African Americans tend not to utilize formal mental health services, leading to increased severity and chronicity of otherwise treatable mental health issues. African American faith and religious identity are very strong. They have often turned to their trusted pastors for relief of mental distress as an alternative to engaging in formal mental health services. Much of the research literature has focused on the Black Protestant Church community. Research studies focusing on pastors serving in the Black Catholic community is virtually nonexistent. Therefore, the focus of this study was pastors serving in predominantly African American parishes regarding their awareness and knowledge of mental health service utilization by Black congregants. The provision of counseling and referral practices was explored. Using a phenomenological approach to capture the “essence” of pastors’ lived experiences, semi-structured interviews were employed to gain information, allowing pastors to relate their stories in their own words. Findings revealed that Black Catholic parishioners do come to their pastors first for relief of mental distress presenting to them a myriad of serious mental health issues and concerns. The findings revealed that pastors serving in predominantly African American parishes can initially address these concerns because of the trusting relationship they have established with their parishioners. Findings also suggest that pastors are in a unique position to reduce stigma often associated with mental health issues and to serve as gatekeepers to formal mental health services for their parishioners
A Study of the Influence of Bidirectional Teacher-Student Relationships on Teacher Wellbeing
No full textThis quantitative correlational nonexperimental research study examined the influence of bidirectional teacher-student relationships on teacher wellbeing. Additionally, this study investigated the difference between teachers’ and students’ perceptions of their bidirectional relationships.
Quantitative archived survey data, from two separate surveys, were analyzed for this research study. The District Middle School Student Survey (Student Survey), developed by The Center for Supportive Relationships, measured middle school students’ perceptions of the bidirectional teacher-student relationships. The District Middle School Teacher Survey (Teacher Survey) also was developed by The Center for Supportive Relationships. Incorporated into The District Middle School Teacher Survey was the Teacher Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire (TSWQ) (Renshaw, Long & Cook, 2015). The Teacher Survey measured teacher’s perceptions of the bidirectional teacher-student relationships and teacher wellbeing. This study used a correlational analysis to answer Research Questions 1 through 4 and a comparative analysis to answer Research Question 5.
The findings of this study revealed that there was a positive and significant relationship between teachers’ perceptions of the bidirectional teacher-student relationships and teacher wellbeing. Therefore, it was concluded that as teachers’ perceptions of the bidirectional teacher-student relationships increased, teachers’ perceptions of their wellbeing also increased. Next, the findings of this study revealed that there was a positive relationship between students’ perceptions of the bidirectional teacher-student relationships and teacher wellbeing. Therefore, it was concluded that as students’ perceptions of the bidirectional teacher-student relationships increased, teachers’ perceptions of their wellbeing also increased. Finally, the findings revealed that there was a significant difference between the students’ and the teachers’ perceptions of their bidirectional relationships
An Exploration of the Professional Learning Needs of Instructional Coaches
No full textThis qualitative single case study explored the professional learning needs reported by three coaching roles and the central office administrators that supervise, evaluate or coordinate these roles. The study examined how the professional learning needs reported by the coaches align with the district’s coaching goals, coaching requirements and essential coaching functions. In addition, the researcher identified the preferred professional learning opportunities and professional learning designs instructional coaches reported as most effective for their role.
Although the impact of instructional coaching as a form of professional learning had been explored, at the time of this study research that investigated the self-reported professional learning needs and preferred learning designs of instructional coaches had not been thoroughly examined. Data collection methods included five focus groups, three administrator interviews and a document analysis. Six thematic findings were identified: adult learning, collaboration, role clarity, interpersonal skills, content knowledge and coaching support. The researcher identified the systemic development of coaching program goals, clearly defined coaching roles and a common understanding among all stakeholders as critical components for the success of a coaching program.
This study contributed to the existing body of knowledge of professional learning for instructional coaches. The findings offered valuable insight for school entities looking into create, sustain and invest in instructional coaching as a research-based, high quality professional learning design. The results of this study provided critical information and implications for establishing a district aligned, professional learning model that is effective for adult learners charged with instructional coaching. Keywords: Instructional coaching, instructional coach, professional learning, professional learning designs, adult learning theory, KASAB model