This article focuses on self-identified Spanish-speaking early childhood educators' experiences with and views of bilingualism as they learned about translanguaging--a dynamic, liberatory, and culturally and linguistically sustaining theory and practice of language. Artifacts and conversations with teachers showed that, counter to many of their…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences that contributed to the development of a systems thinking paradigm in instructors in a college of agriculture. Design/Methodology/Approach: A phenomenology design was used to understand the lived experiences of eleven instructors. Findings: Three themes emerged regarding how they…

Professional development is used in education to assist teachers with strategies and concepts to be used in the classroom. The problem is that the experiences of veteran teachers in professional development to integrate technology into the classrooms is something that is not entirely known or understood. A gap in the literature was identified in…

While faculty are subject matter experts in their fields of research, they are often lacking the pedagogical training to support student academic success. Additionally, career readiness skills are increasingly a focus in higher education through the intentional inclusion of soft skills or "21st-century skills" in the classroom.…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify training gaps for Teacher Aides within an after-school prevention program in north central Florida. The program focuses on prevention of high-risk behavior in at-risk youth and is further restricted by socioeconomic, geographical, and parental support factors. Virtual interviews and…

Educators across the U.S. participate in professional development (PD) to improve their teaching competencies. Numerous legislatures have mandated PD to develop highly qualified teachers; however, literature on PD has shown that teachers feel PD does not meet their needs. With consideration for the diverse needs of teachers, in this study I sought…

Educational institutions have experienced growing pressures on retaining high-quality staff. The problem was resistance to learning new technology and low K-12 veteran teacher technology self-efficacy (Francom, 2020; Sabic et al., 2022), and the implications for changes in professional development leadership. The purpose of this qualitative case…

The Micro-Credential Program is a digital badging system composed of competency-based pathways that move forward early childhood professionals to achieving mastery in employability skills. These skills are crucial for early childhood professionals to have to provide high-quality, nurturing learning environments to children in their care as well as…

This phenomenological research study was based on elementary school teachers who felt unsupported by their principals, due to lack of frequent reviews and pertinent evaluations. In previous research studies, researchers stated that many elementary teachers were frustrated, changed schools frequently, retired early, or left the teaching profession…

Background: Although the contexts, structures and administrations of early childhood education (ECE) may differ internationally, effective pedagogical leadership remains an essential component in supporting young children's development and learning. This paper reports on a comparative study which considered ECE in two different settings, Finland…

Many STEM professional learning opportunities have been characterized as basic, disconnected, and ephemeral. This phenomenological mixed methods study addresses the growing demand for quality STEM educators by investigating the relationship between STEM professional development and teacher self-efficacy. While teacher efficacy has been identified…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how bilingual full-time and adjunct university faculty in a dual-language program described their experiences with professional development to meet college English Language Learners (ELL) students' academic needs in the state of Florida. Through in-depth semi-structured interviews…

Novice reading teachers often struggle to provide high-quality reading instruction. The reasons for their difficulties include "transition shock," challenging school contexts, lack of proper preparation, and poor support. One way to improve the quality of novice teachers' reading instruction is through improving their access to high…

A child's social and emotional development has a powerful impact on every aspect of their life. When a child develops a strong social and emotional foundation, they learn how to express their feelings, empathize with others, and build relationships. All of these skills could influence a child's academic achievement and successful adult life.…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was enacted as an education intervention to close the achievement gap by increasing student attendance, graduation, and standard testing rates. NCLB held teachers and administrators accountable for successfully meeting adequate yearly progress gains. However, the emerging NCLB research uncovered a culture of…