Browsing by Author "Dr. Alan Reiman, Committee Co-Chair"

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The Contribution of Teachers' Roles to Beginning Teachers' Perceptions of Success
(2010-04-30) Horne, Erin Thomas; Dr. Alan Reiman, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Jason Allaire, Committee Member; Dr. Carol Pope, Committee Member; Dr. Heather Davis, Committee Co-Chair
Beginning teachers leave the profession at an alarming rate. Role expansion and role intensification have become more predominate in the profession as a result of numerous reform and accountability movements, including No Child Left Behind. Research suggests that social supports and engagement in multiple roles can buffer the effects of stress and work intensification. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between beginning teachersâ€™ perceptions of success, work role satisfaction, commitment, and retentions intentions while understanding the influence of role intensification and multiple roles on those relationships. The population of interest in this study was North Carolina State Universityâ€™s College of Education graduates employed as teachers. This study used a single time survey design to evaluate teachersâ€™ perceptions of Mentor Support, Colleague Support, Administration Support, Classroom Management, Encouraging Student Success, Curricular and Instructional Resources, Assignment and Workload, Parental Contacts, Satisfaction, and Commitment through the Perceptions of Success Inventory for Beginning Teachers (Corbell, 2008a). In addition, questions surveyed beginning teachers about occupation of additional roles (i.e., parent, spouse, caregiver, student, etc.) and role intensification surrounding high-stakes testing. In all, 127 graduates for the College of Education were included in this study. A measurement model that was a modification of the model validated by Corbell (2008a) included beginning teachersâ€™ multiple roles as a moderator and beginning teachersâ€™ role intensification as a mediator. Path analysis determined that the measurement model was not a reasonable depiction of the relationships. However, there were other findings of interest discovered in the process. First, when calculating a composite score for beginning teachersâ€™ perceptions of success, Mentor Support accounted for the least amount of variance. This finding supported previous research regarding mentoring relationships and its effect on beginning teacher retention. Next, role intensification surrounding high-stakes testing had a significant relationship with beginning teachersâ€™ perceptions of success. Although the measurement model was not significant, post hoc analyses determined that the relationship between role intensification and satisfaction and commitment worked through beginning teachersâ€™ of success. Finally, this study replicated the original model validated by Corbell (2008a). Replication of the original PSI-BT model with a teacher preparation institutionâ€™s graduates encourages its use as a cost-effective means for tracking graduates in the field, their perceptions of success, and retention intentions. Teacher preparation programs can use similar data on their graduates to adapt their programs to the challenges that beginning teachers from their programs report facing.
Evaluating the Perceptions of Success Inventory for Beginning Teachers and its Connection to Teacher Retention.
(2008-04-09) Corbell, Kristen Anne; Dr. Alan Reiman, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. John Nietfeld, Committee Member; Dr. Jason Osborne, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Adam Meade, Committee Member
This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Perceptions of Success Inventory for Beginning Teachers (PSI-BT). The PSI-BT assessed areas that contribute to beginning teachers' perceptions of success as well as beginning teacher retention. Corbell, Reiman, and Nietfeld constructed the first version of the PSI-BT in 2005. In this study, I revised and evaluated the PSI-BT. The PSI-BT was designed to assess ten factors associated with beginning teachers' perceptions of success: Mentor Support, Colleague Support, Administration Support, Classroom Management, Student Success, Instructional Resources, Assignment and Workload, Parental Contacts, Satisfaction, and Commitment. Each of the factors was assessed based on two categories: the beginning teacher's current experience and what the beginning teacher perceived to be essential for effective teaching. In addition to these 10 factors, the PSI-BT also assessed a beginning teacher's retention intentions. Three research questions comprised this study. The first question addressed the psychometric properties of the current experience category of the PSI-BT including construct, convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity. An extensive literature review, expert opinions, and confirmatory factor analysis established the construct validity of the PSI-BT. Significant correlations between the factors of the PSI-BT with the factors of the Teacher's Sense of Efficacy Scale established convergent validity. Non-significant correlations between the PSI-BT with the e-mail subscale of the Teacher's Attitudes Toward Computers confirmed discriminant validity. Binary logistic regression ascertained the PSI-BT factors that predicted beginning teacher retention. Retention was measured using school system retention and attrition data gathered during the school year following the administration of the PSI-BT. The second research question used multiple regression analyses to determine the factors that predicted beginning teacher retention intentions, Satisfaction, and Commitment. The third research question addressed the gap between the current experience and essential for effective teaching categories. The final analysis investigated how the gap for each of the factors predicted beginning teacher retention. The culmination of this research has provided a psychometrically sound instrument that school systems can use to reliably assess beginning teachers' perceptions of success. The gathered data can then be used to make informed decisions for improving induction programs and ultimately to retain beginning teachers
Implementation Fidelity and Facilitator Concerns in the Process of Disseminating a Deliberate Psychological and Professional Education Innovation
(2007-05-03) Dotger, Benjamin Haywood; Dr. John Nietfeld, Committee Co-Chair; Dr. Alan Reiman, Committee Co-Chair
This study examines the dissemination of a deliberate psychological and professional education (DPPE) innovation from its development in a university setting to induction within a rural public school system. The DPPE curriculum innovation was designed to foster cognitive and pedagogical development in educators. Until this study, however, research had not been conducted on the integrity given to the DPPE curriculum when it is transferred from university to school system contexts. Thus, this study addresses the degree of fidelity employed, and the concerns expressed, by public school facilitators as they assume responsibility for implementing the DPPE curriculum innovation. Three quantitative research questions scrutinize the degree of implementation fidelity through an examination of verbal interaction patterns, stages of concern, and core component fidelity. A fourth qualitative research question is employed to ascertain the facilitators' rationale in either maintaining fidelity or introducing changes to the DPPE curriculum innovation. Findings from this study indicate that the DPPE's instructional and curriculum core components were implemented with a high degree of fidelity. Additionally, facilitators indicated peak Stage — 5 Collaboration concerns, indicating focused attention and energy toward coordinated and collaborative facilitation efforts. Verbal interaction patterns differed with regard to direct and indirect facilitator talk, but the percentages of learner engagement and response opportunities were closely aligned with university facilitator standards. Finally, qualitative data indicate significant attention given to the DPPE teacher participants, with adaptations to the DPPE curriculum innovation centering on their participants' expressed concerns and needs.