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A Delphi Study to Explore Successful Implementation of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme From a Principal\u27s Perspective
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the essential elements needed to implement the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) standards and practices from the perspective of elementary school principals who have successfully implemented the programme.
Methodology: This research study examined the essential elements needed for elementary schools as they transition to an IB PYP. This study illustrated the framework for the implementation of the study. Additionally, a description of the population, target population, and the sample used for the study was explored. The instrumentation, data collection procedures, and description of data analysis were then explained. Finally, the limitations of the study and a summary were provided. Findings: The expert panel members identified five elements as essential for the successful implementation of the IB PYP which include: (a) The school fosters the social, emotional, and physical well-being of its students and teachers; (b) The school creates and adheres to a clear and shared mission and vision that reflects the IB philosophy; (c) The school leadership provides time, flexibility, and other resources for teachers to collaborate effectively in the implementation of the IB Programme; (d) The school plans and implements a coherent curriculum that organizes learning and teaching within and across the years of its IB Programme; (e) The school funds and allocates resources and collaboration time that sustain and further develop its IB Programme.
Conclusion: To successfully implement the IB PYP, districts must fully invest in the program to carry out the requirements. First, districts must employ a strong leader who understands the IB philosophy and the standards and practices while emphasizing the development of the whole child and developing a clear vision that has the support of all relevant stakeholders. Funds must be allocated to show support for the program. A collective efficacy must be present to implement the best practices successfully. Recommendations: Based on the findings from this study, five recommendations were made for further research to advance the understanding of how to best address the crisis of meeting the needs of each student
District-Level Instructional Leaders’ Perceptions of Obstacles When Implementing District-Wide Change Initiatives—A Delphi Study
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify what expert district-level administrative instructional leaders perceive as obstacles when implementing district-wide change initiatives to improve student achievement and well-being through a shared leadership approach, to rate the degree of importance of the identified obstacles, and to describe the most effective strategies to overcome the highest rated obstacles identified.
Methodology: This study used the Delphi methodology to collect data from expert district-level administrative instructional leaders through three rounds of survey questionnaires. The expert panel was selected through purposive, convenience, and expert nomination sampling methods. In Round 1, the expert panel was asked to identify obstacles for implementing district-wide change initiatives to improve student achievement and well-being through a shared leadership approach. In Round 2, experts rated the obstacles identified in Round 1 using a 6-point Likert scale. In Round 3, experts identified no more than three strategies that could be used to overcome the top three rated obstacles from Round 2.
Findings: In Round 1, the expert panel of district-level administrative instructional leaders identified 21 obstacles for implementing district-wide change initiatives. In Round 2, the panel rated the 21 obstacles and the top-three were identified. In Round 3, the panel provided strategies to overcome the top-three rated obstacles.
Conclusions: This study’s findings support the need for districts to consider obstacles district-level administrative instructional leaders face as they may impact the effectiveness of implementing a district-wide change initiative. To these leaders, districts need to provide multiple ongoing collaborative opportunities for them to build their capacity and develop as leaders. Districts need to develop a communication plan specific to the initiative. Districts should consider minimizing or eliminating initiatives that do not positively impact student achievement and well-being.
Recommendations: It is recommended to continue to explore the obstacles faced when implementing district-wide change initiatives to improve student achievement and well-being through a shared leadership approach with different populations of participants including principals and teacher leaders. It is recommended to look specifically at districts that are successfully implementing change initiatives and the strategies they use to overcome obstacles with district-level administrative instructional leaders
A Delphi Study of the Characteristics of School Counselor Leaders Who Have Overcome Adversity
No full textPurpose: This Delphi study aimed to identify essential qualities school counselor leaders need to navigate role confusion, drawing from Maxwell’s (2021) Leading in Tough Times strategies. The Delphi panel identified the following strategies: connecting their roles to the organization’s vision or big picture, promoting their roles through organizational teamwork, and making good choices or strategic organizational decisions which would assist them in meeting and exceeding their professional school counseling standards.
Methodology: A mixed methods Delphi multivariable research design was utilized to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. This approach aimed to gather consensus from 20 current or former school counselors on a Delphi panel. The study was comprised of three rounds of surveys: the first qualitative, the second quantitative, and the third qualitative.
Findings: Study results highlighted communication as crucial for clarifying roles and aligning with the organization’s vision. Advocacy emerged as vital for role clarification and vision alignment. Trustworthiness was identified as essential for promoting the counselor’s role through teamwork. Collaboration and teamwork were underscored for connecting roles to the organizational vision and making strategic decisions. Lastly, purpose and clarity were emphasized for aligning the school counseling role with the organizational vision.
Conclusions: Panelist insights underscore the resilience and optimism of school counselors amid challenges, prioritizing communication, teamwork, and role clarity. Despite adversities, counselors persevere in fostering student growth. School counselor leaders are effective when they encourage trust and collaboration. Cultivating this spirit, counselors ensure comprehensive support for their primary role, enriching the educational journey for all students.
Recommendations: School site administrators must actively pursue professional development to grasp the pivotal role of school counselors. Additionally, counselors should maintain involvement in state and national organizations to glean insights for optimal performance. Demonstrating resilience, counselors navigate adversity through collaboration with site, district, and stakeholder networks. This proactive approach ensures continual improvement and effective delivery of essential services within the educational ecosystem
Cultural Agility Competency of Relationship Management as a Leadership Imperative: A Study of Charter School Administrators
No full textAs the United States has become more diverse, research on Culturally Responsive School Leadership strategies and practices and research on Culturally Agility competencies has expanded. While interest has continued to grow in both of these areas of focus, little was known in the intersectionality of these two areas as it relates to cultural competency within K-12 charter schools. More specifically, little was known about how charter school administrators are culturally agile when managing relationships in their organization. Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe how charter school administrators are culturally agile when managing relationships in their organization. Methodology: This phenomenological study identified and described the lived experiences of 15 Southern California Title 1 public charter school administrators. Specifically, the focus of this study was on how charter school administrators are culturally agile when managing relationships in their organization in the competencies of humility, relationship building, and perspective taking. To gain deeper understanding of the phenomena, study procedures were mainly semi-structured interviews to a point of saturation and triangulated by observations and artifacts. The collected data were then reviewed, analyzed, and organized. Findings: Examination of data from participants in this study indicated nine major findings: recognition of their limited world view and leaning into diversity of experiences, institutionalized collaborative decision making as an organizational norm, slowing down decision making by being mindful to ask clarifying questions, consistently following through as one’s authentic self to build rapport, intentionally creating time and space to share openly to forge strong relationships, intentionally cultivating a psychologically safe space for stakeholders with diverse backgrounds and ideas to build trust, taking time to prioritize perceptual perspective, honoring humanity with honoring stakeholder motivations, and asking clarifying questions to actively seek conceptual perspective. Conclusions: This study drew nine conclusions, focused on the strategies and competencies used by charter school administrators to be culturally agile when managing relationships in their organizations. Recommendations: Further research was recommended in order to expand the literature, understanding of Cultural Agility competencies, and utilization of competencies by school administrators
Social–Emotional Competence: An Essential Component for Building Self-Help Skills in Elementary Students
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to describe the challenges elementary teachers experience as they attempt to have students use positive social and emotional skills throughout the school day based on the five social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies framework (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making) of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Additional purposes of this study were to determine the support teachers need to have students use positive social and emotional skills daily and to explore the benefits of teaching social and emotional skills to students.
Methodology: This multicase study involved interviewing 11 kindergarten–second-grade elementary teachers in public school districts in Kern, San Bernardino, and Marin Counties, California. The qualitative method chosen allowed the description of instruction in social and emotional skills based on CASEL’s five SEL competencies framework.
Findings: The qualitative data yielded multiple challenges, needed supports, and benefits of teaching SEL to all students. Furthermore, data yielded information about how CASEL’s framework of SEL competencies can help struggling students who lack self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Nine identified themes, four significant findings, and one unexpected finding emerged from analysis of the semistructured interviews and artifacts.
Conclusions: When students lack social and emotional skills, elementary teachers play a critical role in developing the students’ mental health and well-being in the classroom, which affects other school settings and school culture. In addition, SEL benefits elementary teachers, students, staff members, and administrators when used faithfully by all stakeholders.
Recommendations: Based on this study’s conclusions, SEL cannot happen only at the school level. Therefore, public policymakers, state commissioners of education, educational managers, and school board officials must commit to providing the support that will allow changes to occur
The Challenges that Nontraditional Early Childhood Educators Face When Completing Higher Education
No full textABSTRACT
The Challenges that Nontraditional Early Childhood Educators Face When Completing Higher Education by Polixeni Pantelidou
Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the challenges that non-traditional Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers face as they pursue higher education. The study aimed to identify key barriers, motivators, and strategies that influence their educational progression and completion. It aims to identify the motivators that drive these individuals to pursue further education, the challenges they encounter once enrolled, and the strategies they employ to overcome these barriers.
Methodology: This study employed a qualitative descriptive method, engaging a select group of non-traditional ECE educators through personal interviews. These interactions provided in-depth insights into the personal and professional challenges experienced by the participants, highlighting their perseverance and the adaptive strategies they employed.
Findings: The study revealed that non-traditional ECE educators frequently encounter several significant barriers, including balancing work and family responsibilities, financial constraints, and a lack of institutional support. Despite these challenges, many educators exhibit a strong commitment to their professional growth and employ various coping strategies to manage their circumstances. Notably, the educators\u27 intrinsic motivation and dedication to the field of early childhood education drive them to overcome these obstacles and continue their educational journeys.
Conclusion: The findings from this research corroborate existing literature on the resilience and determination of non-traditional students in higher education, specifically within the ECE field. The study highlights the necessity for targeted support systems that can enhance educational outcomes for these educators.
Recommendations: Based on the research outcomes, it is recommended that educational institutions develop more vigorous support instruments, including flexible scheduling and financial assistance programs, tailored specifically for non-traditional ECE educators. In addition, policymakers and educational leaders should consider initiatives that recognize and address the unique needs of this demographic to facilitate their academic and professional success
A Phenomenological Study to Determine How Expert AVID Teachers Use Collaboration to Strengthen Student Metacognition and Student Self-Efficacy and Determine When it Occurs
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to determine how expert AVID teachers from the California Central Valley describe the use of collaboration to strengthen student metacognition and self-efficacy and how they describe the evidence that indicates metacognition and self-efficacy are occurring.
Methodology: Five Central California school districts were chosen to conduct the phenomenological study on expert AVID teachers. One to two AVID teachers from each of the five school districts were chosen in the study for eight participants. The expert AVID teachers were chosen for having at least five years of experience teaching AVID and being up to date on yearly AVID training and professional development. Individual one-on-one interviews were conducted via Zoom. Transcribed interviews were coded and analyzed.
Findings: Expert AVID teachers use collaboration to strengthen student metacognition through weekly tutorials. To prepare for tutorials students reflect on their independent learning to determine what they know and where is their point of confusion. The tutorial consists of students engaging in discussions/questioning strategies to clarify misconceptions and increase self and group knowledge. Continuous weekly student reflection reveals evidence of their metacognitive engagement and learning improvement. Intentional collaboration is used to strengthen student self-efficacy, the belief that one has in themselves to persevere. Expert AVID teachers utilize mixed grade levels in one classroom to facilitate a safe and welcoming environment focused on collaboration and learning where students learn to use what they know to get what they want.
Conclusions: This study examined and described the lived experiences of expert AVID teachers’ use of collaboration to strengthen student metacognition and student self-efficacy. The research resulted in four conclusions focusing on student reflection on their learning through intentional collaboration, a safe and welcoming environment to take risks during collaboration, fostering student growth over time through student discussion, debate, and reflection, and students learning to use what they know to get what they want during learning.
Recommendations: Based on the findings from this study, nine recommendations were presented for further research to understand best how expert AVID teachers use collaboration to strengthen student metacognition and student self-efficacy
Life After Emancipation: A Phenomenological Study of Emancipated Foster Youth and Their Lived Experiences
No full textPurpose: The purpose of the current phenomenological study was to identify and describe the perceptions of emancipated foster youth (EFY) regarding the factors that have impacted their successful transition into adulthood. The secondary purpose of this study was to describe the measures EFY considers essential for a successful transition from foster care to independent living.
Methodology: This qualitative study identified and described the lived experiences of 12 emancipated foster youth from Los Angeles County, California. Respondents were purposively chosen based on specific criteria. Data were collected, and themes were formed with regard to five characteristics of the emerging adulthood theoretical framework.
Findings: Qualitative data from this study identified that many of the emancipated foster youth leave the foster care system without many essential skills necessary for a successful transition into adulthood and independent living.
Conclusions: Emancipated foster youth are not prepared to become productive and successful members of society once they are emancipated from foster care. Many of these youths do not receive continued mental and behavioral health care once they have emancipated from the foster care system. These youth require active support and resources to navigate their journey into productive adulthood.
Recommendations: It is recommended that additional research around advocates and mentors that support emancipated foster youth as they transition into adulthood. Additional research should also be conducted on the mental and behavioral outcomes of emancipated foster youth as well
Shepherds Leading the Flocks: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study of Church Leaders Managing Church Membership During the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe experiences of church leaders adapting the Scarneo (2019) intrapersonal and interpersonal socioecological influences while managing membership during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Methodology: This study used a qualitative phenomenological approach with a socioecological justification with open-ended interview questions investigating the lived experiences of the participants. This study aimed to gather data from sample size 10 church leaders in Los Angeles County, California plus a snowball sampling of referred church leaders who managed during COVID-19. In this study, the collection of narratives through semi-structured interviews provided the data which was analyzed and used to inform the conclusions and recommendations for this study.
Findings: The research findings were the influential intrapersonal and interpersonal practices (a) implementation of personal prayer, bible study, meditation, faith, and worship; (b) purposeful implementation to seek guidance; (c) daily personal implementation; (d) implementation to address personal needs; (e) implementation of collaborative practices; (f) purposeful collaborative efforts to develop mitigate various needs; (g) established meeting frequency; (h) effective collaboration was related to technology, member and non-member relations, and future planning.
Conclusions: Effective church leadership is dependent upon (a) implemented intrapersonal practices during unsettled times; (b)intentional and purposeful practices resulted in guidance from God; (c) the frequency intrapersonal practice was a key component; (d) benefits of intrapersonal practices included homiletical approaches; (e) implementation of collaborative explored ways to conduct church; (f) the intentional interpersonal practices led to new homiletical approaches; (g) The frequency collaborative communications was key to inter-developmental growth; (f) the benefits of interpersonal practices included new ways of conducting church.
Recommendations: The researcher in this study utilized the findings and conclusions to make the following recommendations to anyone holding an influential church leadership role over members and non-members: (a) develop intrapersonal practices, (b) outline the practices purposes, (c) commit to daily implementation, (d) reflect on the practice benefits, (e) develop collaborative partnerships, (f) commit to relationship building through collaboration, (g) commit achieving effective collaborative outcomes, (h) identify untapped potential and opportunities
Barriers That Exemplary Principals Have Overcome to Increase Parent Participation at the School Site
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the barriers exemplary principals have overcome to increase parent involvement at their school sites. This study explored how principals develop strategies to overcome barriers impeding parent involvement. Using those strategies, principals enhance parent involvement at their school sites.
Methodology: A phenomenological qualitative study was conducted, consisting of interviews to collect data from elementary school principals who have successful parent involvement at their school sites. First, the principals were interviewed in 60 min sessions. The data collected were analyzed to understand individuals’ beliefs and motivation.
Findings: Data analysis revealed that exemplary principals incorporate Epstein’s (2011) six type of parental involvement to ensure they are providing various opportunities for parents to be involved. They provide parents with parenting classes, communicate with families in various ways, provide parents with multiple volunteer opportunities, provide parents with educational workshops, invite parents to be part of the decision-making process, and collaborate with the community.
Conclusion: Exemplary principals know that being a principal requires them to be open to planning school events differently than what was done in the past. They understand that the family dynamics continuously change and therefore they have to plan accordingly. They are visible in the community and know that it takes time and effort to build relationships with parents. In doing so, these exemplary principals maintain active parental involvement and are able to sustain it.
Recommendations: Recommendations include partnering with outside agencies to provide effective parenting classes for parents and collaborating with the community to provide resources to families. Research needs to include learning more about what various districts do to communicate effectively with families who speak various languages. This study should be replicated by expanding the sample size of exemplary principals who have overcome barriers to increase parental involvement at their school site