An Exploration of How K-8 Teachers in Washington, DC Learn Differentiated Instruction: A Generic Qualitative Study

Autor/in	Hubbard, Margaret
Titel	An Exploration of How K-8 Teachers in Washington, DC Learn Differentiated Instruction: A Generic Qualitative Study
Quelle	(2016), (150 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit Ed.D. Dissertation, Northcentral University
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
ISBN	978-1-3696-5332-8
Schlagwörter	Hochschulschrift; Dissertation; Qualitative Research; Individualized Instruction; Faculty Development; Elementary Secondary Education; Middle School Teachers; Elementary School Teachers; Middle School Students; Elementary School Students; Interviews; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Student Relationship; District of Columbia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Thesis; Dissertations; Academic thesis; Qualitative Forschung; Individualisierender Unterricht; Middle school; Middle schools; Teacher; Teachers; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Elementary school; Grundschule; Volksschule; Student; Students; Schüler; Schülerin; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Effectiveness of teaching; Instructional effectiveness; Lehrerleistung; Unterrichtserfolg; Teacher student relationships; Lehrer-Schüler-Beziehung
Abstract	Many children attending American schools are not making consistent academic progress. This is especially true of children who are racially or culturally diverse, are English language learners, are economically disadvantaged, or have learning disabilities. A contributing factor to low academic performance among diverse students may be that many teachers are ill-prepared to address the instructional challenges associated with meeting a variety of learning needs within the same class. Differentiated Instruction (DI) offers teachers an empirically supported approach to teaching that will enable them to meet multiple learning needs. However, teachers do not regularly implement DI with fidelity largely because they do not receive the kind of professional development necessary to make a substantial change to their instructional practice. While researchers have sought to identify professional development strategies and protocols that lead to teacher implementation of DI, most investigations focus on the effectiveness of the professional development strategy itself. There is very little research on teachers as learners--how they learn and how they process, synthesize, and internalize what they are learning about DI. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to provide a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of teacher learning specifically as it pertains to the adoption and implementation of DI. Ten kindergarten through 8th grade teachers from a school district in the Washington, DC area who had experienced professional development on DI within the previous five years were interviewed about their experience related to learning and subsequent implementation of DI. Their reflections were analyzed utilizing coding and that analysis revealed a number of themes. Significant among those themes were that teachers learn about DI because they know it is good for their students but they want to know how to implement it correctly. The results of this research emphasized that while teachers are student focused they are cautious learners. Self-efficacy in their practice is important. It is recommended that professional development on DI be job-embedded and ongoing to provide teachers the support they need in order to confidently make a change in their practice. [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).
Anmerkungen	ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01