Teacher research (practitioner inquiry) is an effective form of professional development for middle level teachers. Through teacher research, classroom teachers develop the skills needed to demonstrate mastery of the performance standards for middle level master teacher candidates. Using well-established research methods, middle level educators…

In this study, candidates at two universities in the southeastern United States engaged in service-learning projects that investigated the effects of service learning on pre-service teachers' understanding of the unique characteristics of young adolescents from diverse backgrounds and knowledge of middle level professional roles. Data were…

Tennessee began its movement toward Middle Level Licensure during the 2002-2003 school year. Only 14 years later, in 2016, Middle Level Licensure in Tennessee will change. In this article, the background and experiences of seven middle level education teacher candidates at the University of Memphis who were the first candidates to complete the…

With the national rollout of edTPA that champions language supports in content lessons, there is a renewed interest in academic language across disciplines and related pedagogy in the U.S. This study examines current knowledge of academic language demonstrated by teacher candidates at middle grades. An analysis (n = 42) of teacher candidates'…

This study investigated the types of interventions that elementary school teachers and pre-service teachers choose to employ when working with students displaying hyperactive behavior. The extent to which beliefs systems, namely entity/incremental theories, showed relationships with the selection of particular types of interventions was also…

Teacher education programs might consider the extent to which their own curriculum provides pre-service teachers with some foundational knowledge in personality psychology. It seems reasonable to consider that a course in educational psychology might be the course in which future teachers are presented an introduction to personality theory. In…

This study investigated preservice teachers' intentions to integrate democratic practice into their teaching and the influence of attitudes and beliefs on intentions. Participants were 76 undergraduates from 3 social studies methods classes. A theory of reasoned action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) guided instrument development. Intention was…

This paper identifies major errors and myths perpetuated by educational research textbooks. The most pervasive errors and myths advanced by methodology textbooks at the following eight phases of the educational research process are described: (a) formulating a research problem/objective; (b) reviewing the literature; (c) developing the research…

There is much controversy concerning the use of constructivist and behaviorist principles for teaching children with learning disabilities. Although many educators support the use of one paradigm exclusively, the author recommends combining ideas from both perspectives for the most effective instruction. This article includes a brief discussion of…

Using the Professional Development School (PDS) model of teacher preparation, a Midwestern university created the potential for teacher candidates to become immersed into the environment of an elementary school. The question this study explored was, "Does increased immersion at a PDS site impact preparation of teacher candidates?" Themes emerged…

As a profession language educators are paying more attention to teacher-driven research to help clarify and explain those phenomena occurring in our classrooms. The purpose of this paper is to explore the following question: What happens when teachers apply a teacher action research (TAR) strategy for improving their classroom practice? I will…

The steps of implementing, analyzing, refining, and re-implementing a lesson is referred to as "lesson study." These steps formed the basis of a "workshop study" model that can be used to analyze a professional development workshop for the purposes of tailoring the content, resources, and collaborative efforts to better meet the needs of the…

Aggressive student behaviors are of concern to every school in the nation. Discovering ways to help teachers prevent and/or respond to such student behavior is of great importance. This reported research sought to discover if and how teacher behaviors impact student aggression in the classroom. In doing so, the researcher did not set out to blame…

Studies indicate that long held gender stereotypes lead females to a decreased self-confidence and interest in the sciences. As a result, only a minority of women pursue coursework and careers in science and technology-based fields. Several gender-based studies in science and technology education indicate that mentoring may hold great promise in…

This report focuses on the processes of change in beliefs and practices experienced by practicing elementary school teachers during a sixteen-session course using two of the modules from the "Developing Mathematical Ideas" (DMI) materials. We identify a collection of six metaphors for knowing, learning, and teaching mathematics to succinctly…