The current study took place in a North Texas public school district. The purpose was to compare levels of teacher self-efficacy among beginning teachers who had participated in traditional and alternative teacher educator preparation programs (EPPs). Additionally, the perceptions of beginning teachers were explored in relation to their…

Teacher turnover is an issue not only in the state of Idaho but across the nation. This study examined the attrition outcomes of 6,572 beginning teachers in Idaho that were trained in one of four types of teacher preparation programs and started teaching between the 2014-15 and 2019- 20 school years. Teachers in the ABCTE preparation program were…

This dissertation investigates the educators' perceived impact of receiving a STEAM certification implementing STEAM education. This research stems from the foundation of the disparity between researchers agreeing that support for STEAM professional development should be continuous (e.g., Myunghee et al., 2013; Quigley & Herro, 2016; So et…

The purpose of this quantitative research was to explore how secondary career and technical education (CTE) teachers' retention is affected by self-efficacy as it relates to the type of licensure they possess: traditional Professional Education License (PEL) or industry experience Educator License with Stipulations (ELS-CTE). In order to achieve…

The aim of this study was to explore the extent to which teachers received the education or training that prepared them to teach social studies content knowledge, social studies critical thinking skills, and their overall preparation to become highly qualified teachers. The participants in the study were active social studies teachers in Tennessee…

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…

Graduate student professional development initiatives aim to prepare future faculty for college-level teaching. One such program is the Certificate in College Teaching (CCT). CCT programs provide graduate students with foundational knowledge and authentic teaching experiences to prepare them to design and deliver instruction at the college level.…

The purpose of this study was to examine how novice teachers perceive their teacher preparation after reflecting on their initial year(s) as teachers. The theoretical framework of the study was rooted in David Kolb's Theory of Experiential Learning (1984). Kolb's theory provides a theoretical base to inform how knowledge can be created and…

Schools in economically marginalized areas often have a disproportionate number of low-performing or ineffective teachers and face challenges in recruiting and retaining highly effective teachers. The grow your own (GYO) model recruits and trains recent high school graduates and school employees who are interested in becoming classroom teachers.…

Online learning has become a popular alternative medium among adult learners. Nearly 7 million students in the United States reported taking a distance education course at a degree-granting post-secondary institution (National Center for Education Statistics, 2018). Despite the growing demand for and importance of online learning in higher…

This study is a secondary data comparative analysis using the "Leader in Me" Measurable Results Assessment (MRA) to examine whether teachers at "Leader in Me" Lighthouse certified schools have a greater degree of instructional self-efficacy than teachers at non-Lighthouse certified "Leader in Me" schools. Literature…

Teacher recruitment is a continual challenge facing many rural high-needs schools. The researcher designed this quantitative survey study to explore superintendent and teacher perceptions of the effectiveness of teacher recruitment practices used in High Need/Resource Capacity Rural school districts in New York State and the use of Bolman and…

Individuals who desire to pursue the teaching profession have two primary paths for preparation: either completing a traditional college-based program or an alternative program. A generic qualitative inquiry methodology was used to explore the perspective of novice teacher participants on how prepared they felt based on the preparation program…

Alternate Route to Certification Programs (ARC) have been growing in the United States since the 1980s due to the ongoing teacher shortages nationwide. Alternative certification programs typically consist of a shorter duration of content taught and the absence of student-teacher practicums. In essence, teacher candidates enrolled in an ARC program…

Teachers are one of the largest licensed groups in the United States, and nearly all teachers are required to pass a licensure exam before entering classroom practice (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). However, "questions abound as to those exams' quality, design, and purpose: To what extent do they actually assess important professional…