The Predominately Undergraduate Institution in this study identified a sharp decline in external grant seeking during the 2007-2014 academic years. During these years some faculty applied for grants on a regular basis, but some faculty stopped seeking grants altogether. The first author interviewed 15 of the most persistent grant seekers to…

Given the variety of learning and engagement needs of the increasingly diverse student population in higher education, flexible approaches to teaching are critical for improving student success. Professional development that provides faculty exposure to effective, evidence-based instructional strategies in an online context may enhance their…

This chapter presents the bottlenecks identified by seven faculty members from diverse disciplines and an inductive content analysis of their Decoding interviews. Representative quotations illustrate themes in the interviews and we consider the implications for both faculty development and pedagogical research.

Teachers' beliefs about the reading standards as well as curriculum materials used to address the standards affect how teachers implement the standards, which further impacts student learning. In this case study, 26 middle grades (6-8) reading teachers each participated in a 90 minute one-on-one audio-taped interview consisting of 33 open-ended…

Because it is not clear that teachers will volunteer for good professional development if it is made available, this study used surveys--including social network analysis--and interviews to examine why teachers did and did not participate in one school's high-quality study group. While all teachers were motivated by intrinsic incentives, two…

The racial achievement gap is a problem that is plaguing America's school system. Across the country, black and brown students are performing below their white classmates. According to researchers like Gloria Ladson-Billings and Geneva Gay, one of the most effective ways to reduce the achievement gap is to use culturally relevant instruction. The…

The iPad is a tool that could change the way in which teachers prepare and deliver instruction in the K-12 environment. But, while proponents tout its capabilities, school administrators run the risk of purchasing yet another tool without understanding its potential impacts on the teacher, students, and classroom environment. This study used iPads…

Building on the research of National Board Certification and its effect on teacher quality, student achievement, and professional development, this dissertation seeks to explore the factors that influence teachers when it is time to renew their National Board Certification. Using a qualitative methodology, this study seeks to describe the process…

The purpose of this study is to investigate teachers' views about the use of tablet computers distributed as a part of the FATIH (Movement for Enhancing Opportunities and Improving Technology) Project. In this study, the case study method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The participants were 20 teachers from various fields…

In this interview, Dr. Ozen Guven talks to Dr. Mary Mendenhall, Sonia Gomez, and Emily Varni about their research on teachers and teaching practices in contexts of forced displacement. Mendenhall, Gomez, and Varni recently authored "Teaching Amidst Conflict and Displacement: Persistent Challenges and Promising Practices for Refugee,…

High school vice principals do not typically play a key role in the instructional leadership duties at their sites, as they are typically responsible for being their school's chief disciplinarians, managers of attendance, and supervisors of student activities and athletics. This study examined the role and responsibilities of high school vice…

Educators seek professional learning to meet their personal needs and the needs for their students each year. However, many times the professional learning is not tailored to the audience and the costs to attend conferences does not lend itself to being effective use of time and resources. Many educators are now turning to Twitter for professional…

The study centered around two teams of teachers and their success and struggle in utilizing professional development to gain the knowledge necessary to adequately implement the Positive Intervention and Behavior Supports (PBIS) framework initiative into all areas of the school. Data collected through personal interviews, classroom observations,…

Does participation in a reflective teaching development program transform educators? In a three-year teaching development program, faculty met in small interdisciplinary groups with peer facilitators and used online resources to complement their learning activities. The first two cohorts of participants found that involvement in a teaching…

Background: Educational scholars emphasize that in order to gain a better understanding of the complexity of teaching, greater attention needs to be paid to teachers' views and perceptions of the challenges and barriers of teaching. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe preschool teachers' views and perceptions of the main challenges…