Examining the Beliefs and Practices of Successful Teachers in a High Poverty School

Autor/in	Howard, Christy Maranda
Titel	Examining the Beliefs and Practices of Successful Teachers in a High Poverty School
Quelle	(2014), (187 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
ISBN	978-1-3039-7330-7
Schlagwörter	Hochschulschrift; Dissertation; Disadvantaged Schools; Teacher Effectiveness; Qualitative Research; Beliefs; Teacher Attitudes; Educational Practices; Case Studies; Middle School Teachers; Grounded Theory; Observation; Interviews; Teacher Empowerment; Resistance (Psychology) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Thesis; Dissertations; Academic thesis; Effectiveness of teaching; Instructional effectiveness; Lehrerleistung; Unterrichtserfolg; Qualitative Forschung; Belief; Glaube; Lehrerverhalten; Bildungspraxis; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Middle school; Middle schools; Teacher; Teachers; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Beobachtung; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Resistenz
Abstract	The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the beliefs and practices of successful teachers in a high poverty school. Specifically, this study examined the role of teacher beliefs and how these beliefs were enacted in the classroom. This multiple case study of three teachers took place in one middle school during a unit of study for each teacher and examined teacher experiences and instruction throughout the unit of study. Data collection included classroom observations, audio recorded interviews, teacher assignments and information from school, district and state websites. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Through this analysis, three major themes surrounding teacher beliefs and practices emerged from the observation and interview data: (a) teacher beliefs enacted--this theme showed a connection between what participants said and what they did in their classrooms, particularly related to high expectations, student interests and needs, autonomy, social experiences, and cultural connections, (b) agency through resistance--teachers discussed in this study how they didn't feel they could be successful unless they pushed back against the standard curriculum by developing their own approach to teaching, which usually focused on culturally responsive teaching and building a community of learners and (c) support from colleagues and administration that impacted instructional decisions. These findings suggested that successful teachers in high poverty schools held and enacted beliefs that were centered on high expectations, social learning experiences and meeting the interests of students. As teachers acted on their beliefs, they also enacted agency in order to "push back" against the contextual constraints, primarily in regard to curriculum demands and assessment mandates, discussed in this study as "non-negotiables." In order to meet these demands, while still enacting their beliefs, the successful teachers in this study had to consider what was indeed negotiable within the context of local, state, and national mandates. In determining how they could navigate these negotiables, these teachers were able to find a balance that allowed them to develop instruction to meet the unique needs of their students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.] (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01