A Case Study of Certified Support Staff Members' Perceptions of Professional Learning Communities

Autor/in	Byrd, Tresseler S.
Titel	A Case Study of Certified Support Staff Members' Perceptions of Professional Learning Communities
Quelle	(2012), (166 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit Ph.D. Dissertation, Capella University
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
ISBN	978-1-2674-7229-8
Schlagwörter	Hochschulschrift; Dissertation; Constructivism (Learning); Collegiality; Team Training; School Culture; Case Studies; Qualitative Research; Middle Schools; Interviews; Observation; Content Analysis; Communities of Practice; Program Effectiveness; Staff Development; Staff Role; Paraprofessional School Personnel; Certification; Georgia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Thesis; Dissertations; Academic thesis; Kollegialität; Teamcoaching; Schulkultur; Schulleben; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Qualitative Forschung; Middle school; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Beobachtung; Inhaltsanalyse; Community; Personnel development; Personalentwicklung; Abschlusszeugnis; Zertifizierung
Abstract	The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of certified support staff at a Georgia middle school, focusing on their opinions of Professional Learning Communities (PLC), the roles they played in PLCs and the effect PLCs had on their professional practices. This descriptive case study utilized open-ended interviews, direct observations and document review. The literature reviewed in this study examined Professional Learning Communities and the impact they have on instruction, students and school culture. The theoretical framework that guided this study was grounded in the social constructivist perspective, and a case study design was used to address the research questions. The method of data collection in this study included a total of nine open-ended interviews, nine observations and the review of participants' documents. The perceived perceptions reported were determined by a thorough analysis of the data collected. The findings indicated that the participants believed that PLCs are beneficial to both student achievement and professional development. They also believed that Professional Learning Communities fostered team building and collegiality. However, the participants believed that the overriding weakness of PLCs was the amount of time spent in PLCs that was not indicative of their specific department or job responsibilities. Consequently, further research studies should examine structures and considerations that can assist building-level administrators in developing and implementing school-day embedded Professional Learning Communities for certified support staff members. [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	2017/4/10