Instructors with a high sense of inclusive teaching efficacy appear to create classroom climate where learners with a range of learning styles and abilities perform well. There is quite limited research on inclusive teacher efficacy, a construct gaining considerable attention by scholars globally. This transcendental phenomenological study of…

This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of eleven early childhood educators who participated in a professional development program. The study was guided by the central research question, "What are the perceptions of early childhood educators on the professional development program as it relates to teacher efficacy, engagement,…

This observational study explored the connections between collaborative teacher learning communities as related to teacher efficacy in the largest high schools in Ohio. These communities are typically called Small Learning Communities and Professional Learning Communities. Small Learning Communities are usually created with academic content area…

This qualitative descriptive study explored how general education K-6 teachers describe their ability to implement student Individualized Educational Plans (IEP) in their classrooms and the supports needed for effective implementation of IEPs in Ohio. Self-Efficacy has been defined as the confidence that an individual has in their ability to…

Demands for increased school accountability created by No Child Left Behind and Every Student Succeeds legislation has resulted in the implementation of professional development programs in which educators are observers rather than collaborative participants. The problem at a secondary independent charter school in Central Ohio was the lack of a…

The purpose of the study is to further investigate the validity of instruments used for collecting preservice teachers' perceptions of self-efficacy adapting the three-level IRT model described in Cheong's study (2006). The focus of the present study is to investigate whether the polytomously-scored items on the preservice teachers' self-efficacy…

The No Child Left Behind legislation has drawn a great deal of attention to the gap' that exists between the academic performance of Black and Hispanic students as compared to their White counterparts. While numerous reform efforts have been implemented to address this disparity, to date little research has been done to connect a teacher's sense…

The purpose of this study is to explore the correlation between state-recorded value- added (VA) scores and academic optimism (AO) scores, which measure teacher self-efficacy, trust, and academic emphasis. The sample for this study is 87 third through eighth grade Reading teachers, from fifty-five schools, in an urban school district in Ohio who…

The first year of teaching is filled with many challenges. In Ohio Catholic urban elementary schools, those challenges are further intensified considering the requirements of knowledge and skills in cultural capital and classroom management for teacher and student success. The purpose of the phenomenological study is to explore the self-efficacy…

The School District of Philadelphia (SDP), established in 1818, is the eighth largest school district in the United States, with a student enrollment of 184,560 K-12 students. Like most of the other large urban school districts in the United States, its student population consists of more minority students than non-minority students. As the white…

This study examined beginning teachers' perceptions of self-efficacy and professional development while engaged in communities of practice. Wenger's research on communities of practice serves as the conceptual framework for this mixed method phenomenological study. Six beginning and tenured teachers were surveyed using the Ohio State Teacher…

The purpose of this study was to assess self- efficacy beliefs of students in early childhood education movement practicum courses offered in Northeastern Ohio higher educational institutions. The sample population consisted of early childhood education students from four higher educational institutions (two community colleges and two…

This dissertation describes findings of a qualitative study using a grounded theory methodology to explore teacher perceptions and implementation of the Ohio Academic Content Standards for Mathematics. Teachers who have knowledge of the Standards and have participated in professional development that builds on that knowledge do not always teach in…

Compared with other professions, teachers in P-12 schools seem to experience the highest level of emotional exhaustion. The purpose of this study was to examine teacher emotions within the context of teachers' appraisals and the ways they regulate and cope with their emotions. This was done by exploring novice teachers' appraisals of classroom…

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) has been linked to increased teacher competence and efficacy, as well as increased social skills and decreased challenging behaviors for participating children (Green, 2009). Partnerships for Early Childhood Mental Health ("Partnerships") is an ECMHC program in Southeastern Ohio. This…