This research project explores how awareness and participation in Christian spiritual disciplines increased among adults involved in Sunday school revitalization at Temple Baptist Church in Gainesville, Texas. The first two chapters include a biblical and theological basis for the spiritual disciplines and a brief historical sketch of Christian…

Professional development looks to improve professional practices of education and to enhance the quality of programs in education settings. Researchers and practitioners study coaching as one of the professional development strategies to support learning processes and improve instruction, interactions, and overall development of teachers and…

In the United States (U.S.), the heart of public education lies in the commitment to providing every child with the necessary resources for their learning and development. Today, in 2024, principals are responsible for ensuring all students have equitable access to education by integrating technological advancements, maintaining a rigorous…

Current literature often focuses primarily on students when thinking of avenues to increase their academic achievement and/or social and emotional well-being, rather than increasing teacher professional capacity to directly impact students by developing their own social and emotional well-being. Therefore, there is a need to explore adult social…

The problem to be addressed through this study is the low enrollment and completion rates for the professional development of pastors within the North American Division of the Adventist Learning Community. The study addresses the issue of low enrollment and completion rates in self-paced online professional development courses for pastors within…

Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTLs) at all-online universities are faced with the same challenge each year: creating a professional development curriculum that offers experienced and pedagogical support and community-building opportunities for faculty. Ideally, faculty would offer suggestions, contributions, and engagement regarding their…

The three articles included in this dissertation are connected through theory and practice. Study one identifies the factors influencing Extension agents' participation in supplemental professional development opportunities using Ajzen's (1985) theory of planned behavior. Study two was a systematic investigation of Extension personnel's…

This case study was an exploration of how instructional coaches self-perceived the role and the responsibilities of the role, the barriers encountered in the role, and the professional development needs of both novice and seasoned instructional coaches. Results revealed that the role of an instructional coach is ill-defined, and the role can often…

Children are spending less time in nature, leading to a multitude of ramifications in all areas of development. Research has indicated that teachers play a key role in increasing time children spend in nature. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand elementary teachers' perceptions of skills, benefits, and challenges of…

There were concerns in both quantity and quality of principal candidates regarding training experiences and principals being prepared to lead schools. Research was limited when it came to principal preparation programs (PPPs) training rural, East Tennessee school principals to become instructional leaders and school district leaders providing…

This qualitative study explored how supervisors in student affairs describe their supervisory learning journey. Supervision is an important facet of the student affairs profession, yet there is an apparent lack of intentional supervisory training and development for these professionals. This study endeavored to understand how supervisors in…

Using data from a statewide couple relationship education (CRE) program efficacy study, this implementation science study considered whether and how classmates influence gains from CRE exposure. We pursued a theoretically and empirically supported model to explore whether class climate, indicated by classmate characteristics, influenced change in…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how teachers describe their experiences with attending school required PD sessions and how those sessions influenced their approach to teaching. The study's theoretical foundation was Malcolm Knowles' adult learning theory's four principles: (1) involved adult learners, (2) adult…

The purpose of this study was to use a Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology to understand the learning experiences of trainers who completed a professional development trainer certification. Specifically, this study explored how trainers described their learning experiences, the catalysts trainers identified as instrumental to their…

Professional development (PD) hours are required for licensure renewal for the more than 110,000 teachers in Ohio. Despite being entrenched in the culture of education; many teachers view PD negatively. In this qualitative study, three structures of PD are studied to determine their impact on teacher attitudes. These three structures are online…