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This study aims to better understand how teacher leaders influence the detracking of secondary school schedules through the following research questions (a) How and to what extent do teacher leaders have influence on the detracking of the school schedule? (b) What influences teacher beliefs around tracking and how does professional development shift those beliefs? In this embedded case study, I conducted seven semi-structured interviews, gathered data through a questionnaire of 19 teacher leaders, and analyzed documents from the Tamarack school district. However, the key analytic unit of the study was four semi-structured interviews with teacher leaders who participated in a professional development aimed at shifting teacher leaders' beliefs about equity centered school scheduling. Findings revealed the following: 1) leadership and school structures shape teacher agency, 2) teacher leaders focused on technical aspects of the school schedule, 3) when departments identified normative issues of interest, they influenced course offerings and access points, 4) reflection and conversation shifted teacher leader beliefs, 5) beliefs changed based on teacher leaders' experience and training, and 6) department chairs lacked opportunities for professional development. These findings offer several implications for policy, future research, and for practitioners in the field working toward a more equitable school schedule. [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.]

The purpose of this study was to determine the motivators and hygienes that affect the job satisfaction and classroom efficacy of community college faculty in Arkansas. Using Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, this research found motivating factors, such as the nature of the work, autonomy and independence, and professional relationships to be associated with overall job satisfaction of the participating faculty. Conversely, hygiene factors, namely salary, funding for travel for professional development, and communication with administration were associated with faculty job dissatisfaction. The findings indicate that overall faculty are satisfied with their jobs and do not see non-instructional responsibilities having a negative impact on their classroom efficacy. The findings of this study show areas that institutional leaders should improve on to help increase the job satisfaction of community college faculty. [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.]

The 21st century has been characterized by digital innovation that has reached every sector of functioning society, including education. In many instances this innovation has led to breakthroughs of great scientific discovery, yet on the contrary, this limitless innovation presents evolving aspirations particularly among policy makers and industry demands in hopes of fueling the national interest. In this neoliberal outlook education often gets caught in the middle of serving both national interest via required policy and serving the moral best interest of the community. Overlooked in all of this is the important voice of the teacher who is the person responsible for deploying new technologies and software into classrooms worldwide, often without consultation as to how this will affect one's practice. Grounding the research in theories both young (post digital theory) and old (constructivist theory), the researcher aimed to bring to light the many nuances of the teaching profession through the often-unheard voice of the teacher. The aim of this study was to explore the complex relationship between teacher's perception of autonomy, workload, and demoralization to determine if the integration of technology has had any bearing on influencing the way teachers feel about their practice. In this mixed methods, correlational research utilizing a questionnaire as the main instrument over 2000 emails were sent of which only 76 responses were received. Beyond the workload factor, the researcher was intrigued as to whether a fear factor was at play when it came to soliciting responses. The researcher received several follow up emails as the survey was live inquiring about the anonymity of the survey instrument with further solicitations to remain as anonymous as possible. It is these pleas that suggest teachers are afraid of the implications of speaking truthfully and honestly about their working conditions. [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.]

Teacher attrition is increasing (Torpey, 2018), and approximately 100,000 teachers will leave this field annually from 2016 to 2026. Addressing wellbeing constructs retain more employees and decrease presenteeism (Hemp, 2014). Teachers cite a lack of job satisfaction and burnout as their main reasons for attrition (Brasfield et al., 2019; Fisher, 2011; Madigan & Kim, 2021; O'Brennan et al., 2017). Autonomy, a sense of belonging, and support from leadership are all constructs that can improve workplace wellbeing (Clausen et al., 2021; Ray, 2021; Sandilya & Shahnawaz, 2018). This quantitative, nonexperimental, cross-sectional study aimed to examine the public elementary school teachers' perceptions of autonomy, sense of belonging, and administrative support, which were the dependent variables. Participants were grouped by low and high attrition rate districts. 88 full time, certified elementary school teachers within four districts in the state of Maryland completed the Likert style Teacher Perception Survey, which was created using statements from the Teacher Autonomy Scale (Pearson & Hall, 1993), the Sense of Community in Schools Scale (Admiraal & Lockhorst, 2012), and the Special Education Teachers' Sense of Administrative Support Scale (Weiss, 2001). The participant selection was a purposive and convenience sampling. The electronic survey completed by the participants provided was analyzed using Whitney Mann U test and a one way ANOVA. Type 1 and type 2 participants agreed about sense of belonging and administrative support. There was not enough variance between the two to indicate a relationship. Autonomy indicated that it could be related to attrition and that the two participant groups did not agree. The data sets lacked significant outliers, and there were statements within the Teacher Perception Survey with standard deviations greater than one, indicating more diverse and varied responses. The results indicate that school districts should find ways to provide more autonomy for their teachers and also continue to focus on maintaining a sense of belonging and administrative support. This study can be narrowed down to focus more on how these perceptions link to burnout. Future research can also consider asking their participants about their intention to leave education rather than rely on state-reported data. [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.]

Decades of established research have focused on the attrition, workplace trauma, and career burnout of student affairs (SA) professionals working at colleges and universities (see N. J. Evans, 1988; Herr & Strange, 1985; Perez & Bettencourt, 2024; Walterbusch, 2019). The purpose of this generic qualitative research study (Khalke, 2016) was to understand the workplace experiences of the population of midlevel SA administrators working in the United States and Canada. Specifically, this study explores how midlevel SA administrators experience different mindsets in response to their workplace context and persist in their SA careers. The mindset concepts explored in this study include "thriving" (Schreiner, 2010), "buoyancy" (Parker & Martin, 2008), and "resilience" (Winwood et al., 2013). Positive psychology literature posits thriving, buoyancy, and resilience as "mindsets." The following research question guided this generic qualitative study: "What are the experiences midlevel SA administrators have with thriving, buoyancy, and resilience mindsets?" Participants (n = 12) included midlevel SA administrators working in the United States or Canada, each sharing similar work-related characteristics and responsibilities while persisting through their SA careers. Participants completed an individual self-reflection activity focused on their career trajectory, followed by two in-depth interviews over a two-week period. Findings present a distinction among the concepts of thriving, buoyancy, and resilience. Midlevel SA administrators engaged buoyancy and resilience as mindsets but experienced a thriving state or condition at work. Participants engaged a buoyancy mindset to respond to consistent changes and local challenges within their specific department. Participants were more likely to engage a resilience mindset in response to high stake workplace challenges, and significant, unexpected, complicated, and compounded workplace issues that also influenced personal stress. Participants recalled thriving as a very specific, monumental career experience from the past that are uncommon at work. Overall, all participants indirectly expressed ways their sense of agency (Bai, 2006; Mitchell & Meacheam, 2011) influences their feelings of success at work, suggesting agency can affect one's workplace mindset.Implications for practice focus on midlevel SA administrators, the supervisors of midlevel SA administrators (e.g., vice president, students; vice provost, students), senior campus leaders (e.g., president, provost), and SA professional associations in the United States and Canada. Other implications center on theory and directions for future research. [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.]

This study sought to describe secondary English teachers' experiences with text selection. Its first aim was to determine how secondary English teachers perceive the use of young adult literature (YAL) with adolescent students. The study also details factors that influenced teachers' text selections. Finally, the study describes how teachers' perceptions of administrative support influenced their self-efficacy. The study was conducted using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), a qualitative research method that employs in-depth, semi-structured interviews to develop descriptions of participants' experiences. Participants included six secondary English teachers from a school district in the southeast United States. Teachers completed a survey about their individual contexts and then participated in interviews. The study revealed a number of findings. First, although participants view YAL as beneficial to adolescents, only half incorporated it in their curricula while all included canonical texts. Also, teachers considered numerous factors when selecting texts, including standards, skills, content, and time. Teachers' responses revealed feelings of guilt, shame, stress, and fear in relation to the texts they teach. Teachers indicated overall that they perceive having autonomy in text selection but doubt receiving support if those texts were challenged. Finally, the study's findings indicated the need for support from educational and curriculum leaders. Leaders must be aware of best practices in selecting and defending texts for classrooms. Leaders must also provide preservice and inservice teachers training in selection and defense of texts that meet students' needs. Finally, leaders must work to ensure that the academic, social, and emotional needs of students and teachers are met so that the goals of their schools can be accomplished. [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.]

Teacher autonomy in the classroom can determine the amount of engagement teachers have during literacy instruction. Drawing on previous research, this study investigates the influence of teacher autonomy on teacher engagement in the elementary, literacy classroom. This work is informed by Self-Determination Theory. The Teacher Autonomy Scale (TAS) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) were used as data collections tools in this research to explore the relationship between teacher autonomy and teacher engagement. Sixty-eight current elementary literacy teachers completed a survey to determine their perception of autonym and the influence it has on their engagement. Linear regression was used to analyze the data. Results demonstrate that teacher autonomy is positively correlated with teacher engagement in the elementary literacy classroom. The findings of this study contribute significantly to the existing body of literature on teacher autonomy and teacher engagement. [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.]

Many countries around the world are implementing changes to their systems of teacher education in an effort to improve the way teachers teach and how much children learn in school. This dissertation uses the case of Ghana to examine how a suite of ambitious reforms--including the upgrading of teacher education to university education, a new Bachelor of Education curriculum, and changes to the regulation and oversight of teacher education--interact with enduring conventions and structures, which historically, have shaped the organizational character of institutions that train teachers (called colleges of education today). Adopting the sociological perspective of new institutional theory, this study examines the range of ways those who teach future teachers, lead colleges of education, and oversee teacher education, preserve or alter enduring conventions and structures, with a particular focus on processes of quality evaluation, such as accreditation, certification, external examination, and university affiliation, intended to maintain standards and ensure quality. The investigation adopted the method of comparative case study formalized by comparative and international development scholars Lesley Bartlett and Frances Vavrus (2016). Case study data were compared along a horizontal axis--instances of reform unfolding within three colleges of education--a vertical axis--perspectives on reform processes from individuals and organizations positioned along a local to global scale--and a transversal axis--which compared present-day processes in relation to what came before. The horizontal and vertical axes of comparison drew on interviews, observations, and document analysis, and focused on examining reform processes and individual and collective meaning-making, particularly as they relate to systems of authority and status within the arena of teacher education in Ghana. The transversal axis of comparison drew on archival sources and studies of the history of education in Ghana to build an understanding of the historical antecedents to conventions and structures that those implementing reforms today must contend. Drawing on the empirical evidence and historical narrative, and theorizing through comparison, the study found: (1) Pedagogical change within institutions that train teachers is possible when reforms encompass multiple institutional change processes, address regulatory, normative, and cultural-cognitive institutional elements, and are implemented with technical and financial support; (2) Teaching methods yield to reform efforts more readily than conceptions of teacher education knowledge; (3) Processes of quality evaluation are institutional carriers that transport conceptions of knowledge and relational systems, and thus, act as forces that resist change in teacher education; and (4) Aspirations of modern teaching methods and ownership of improvement in teaching and learning are hindered when teacher educators do not have authority over the knowledge to train teachers and teacher training institutions are accorded low autonomy. [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.]

Student affairs practitioners in higher education have been leaving the field at an alarming rate (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, 2022). As personnel working on the front lines in efforts related to student success and retention, early-career incumbents in these positions experiencing such high rates of attrition presents an existential crisis to student affairs as a profession (Fosnacht et al., 2021). This study examined the job experience of early-career housing professionals and its relationship to retention to their positions. The study received endorsed research status by Association of College and University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I) in 2023. The study looked at: (a) the role of hall director as a generalist and its level of autonomy; (b) short-term tenure; (c) the impact on small, private colleges; and (d) training and development of these personnel. The researcher provided perspectives into the perceptions and factors that may influence the job experience through a single, bounded case study at one housing/residence life department. Through interviews with personnel on three levels in the organization (entry level, mid-level, and senior level), and a document analysis of a job description, training, and recruitment materials, this study examined the expectations and perceived realities of early-career housing professionals. Findings revealed the hall director position at the small, private university is complex, generalist, and mostly autonomous, with ambiguous, abundant responsibilities. The work environment is perceived as innovative and strategic, with high performance expectations to go above and beyond, and is characterized by frequent vacancies and staff turnover, hall directors challenged to balance overlapping professional and personal lives, and a perception that compensation and duties required are not aligned. The managers perceive the job skills required for the role to be technical and organizational, with graduate classroom and fieldwork preparation contributing to success in the role. Areas to explore for future research include the differences in job experience and retention between different gendered personnel, master's degree recipients in related versus unrelated fields of study, state and regional factors, and the timing of hiring cohort to start of work. [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.]

A growing concern in graduate medical education (GME), research indicates that some graduating residents are unprepared to enter unsupervised practice. The aim of this qualitative phenomenological study is to illuminate the resident experience surrounding the development of autonomy in clinical decision making relative to teaching practices. Research questions include: (1) What is the dual role of learner/teacher like for residents as they attend to their own and others' development of autonomy in clinical reasoning and decision making? (2) Which teaching methods do they commonly experience as the learner and practice as the teacher relative to this development, and which methods are associated with experiences most and least valued for growth in autonomy? (3) How are these teaching methods acquired? (4) How do residents experience and interpret the provision of autonomy by supervising teachers? The researcher obtained a purposive sample of eight participants from GME programs in a large public university in the south, representing residents in early training to post-training as chief residents, from the specialties of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and the combined specialties of Internal Medicine-Pediatrics and Internal Medicine-Psychiatry. The researcher conducted in-depth interviews supported by member checks and memos. Consistent with the phenomenological framework, In-Vivo and Process Coding enabled identification of meaning units and experiential themes. The interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) method was used to conduct data analysis. Findings revealed that these residents experience difficulty and uncertainty in their dual role of learner/teacher, attaching meaning to the experience as an unsteady balance between the two roles. Despite this challenge, they particularly value their teaching role for their own learning and autonomy development. A lack of formal teaching training, however, means that residents rely on acquiring teaching practices through observation and imitation of others, often resulting in the adoption of underdeveloped or misaligned methods for teaching clinical reasoning. Teaching methods included the traditional apprenticeship methods of behavioral modeling, coaching and scaffolding early in the intern year, transitioning to cognitive apprenticeship limited to learner articulation of clinical reasoning, coaching, scaffolding and most often, modeling of the clinical decision or plan of care. Exceptional teaching for growth in autonomy was differentiated by modeling of the clinical reasoning process and a climate of psychological safety, often including self-directed learner reflection and exploration. All participants experienced a variable provision of autonomy, attributing the willingness of some faculty to grant autonomy to other factors besides patient needs and entrustment in resident ability, which may jeopardize the experience needed for unsupervised 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.]

Scripted/narrowed curricula are tangled in the webs of school reforms and standardization. Teachers are experiencing a monumental challenge: the deprofessionalization of their roles as educators. I sought teachers' understandings of how scripted/narrowed curricula impact their curriculum autonomy, specifically, their professional responsibility and pedagogical artistry. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from K-12 public educators in Rhode Island using an adapted Curriculum Autonomy Survey and Curriculum Autonomy interviews. I analyzed the quantitative data using descriptive and inferential statistics, which provided a broader picture of the experiences of Rhode Island educators faced with teaching scripted/narrowed curricula, and a second group emerged: teachers who develop their own curricula. Interview questions asked teachers to reflect on their experiences with the curriculum. By coding and conducting thematic analysis, I analyzed the interview transcripts, and multiple themes emerged after the data proved consistent across the survey and interview. Teachers using scripted/narrowed curricula are experiencing a loss of their curriculum autonomy. Their professional responsibility is being challenged because they are no longer stakeholders in the curricular and pedagogical decisions or curriculum changes for their content areas. This lack of decision-making has led to questioning the equity of curricula and questioning the breadth and depth of subjects and topics in curricula. These educators are facing challenges to pedagogical artistry, meaning they cannot modify/accommodate student needs or create lessons to promote cultural and social learning opportunities, and they have felt a loss of creativity in building lessons to ensure students are learning skills to be citizens of the world. [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.]

This qualitative case study investigates instructional faculty's perceptions of their agency, self-efficacy, and preparedness to personalize instruction in Competency-Based Education (CBE), a growing alternative to traditional higher education known for faster program completion. The study addresses a significant issue in the field -- as CBE expands, the institutional drive for standardization may undermine a defining CBE characteristic of personalized learning. This pressure is intensified by increased class sizes, changing performance metrics, and evolving organizational cultures, which can impede the faculty's ability to provide student-centered instruction. Grounded in Bandura's theory of agency and self-efficacy (1977, 1982, 1997) and O'Meara's extension of these concepts (2015), this study explores how these theoretical frameworks influence faculty decisions regarding personalized student interventions. The question guiding this study was: "How do faculty members perceive their agency, self-efficacy, and preparedness to personalize instruction in CBE programs?" Through purposive and snowball sampling, 15 faculty members who taught in U.S. higher education CBE programs participated in this study. Data were collected via one-on-one semi-structured interviews to explore faculty agency, self-efficacy, and preparedness in creating personalized study plans. The findings revealed three key themes: (1) low levels of personalization, (2) metrics influence confidence and actions, and (3) the need for enhanced CBE training. The study proposes new policies, such as Personalized Interaction Hours (PIH) and Interaction Quality (IQ) metrics, to support faculty in overcoming these challenges. These findings contribute to policy and professional development initiatives aimed at reinforcing the personalized nature of CBE, ultimately enhancing faculty satisfaction and student success. [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.]

This study assesses the role a teacher-led social studies group played in the evolution of three teachers' professional biographies over the course of seven years. It uses a conceptual framework based on Priestley, Biesta and Robinson's (2015) theory of teacher agency to explore the ecological relationships between professional biography, the macro context of state-level social studies reform, and the micro contexts formed by both the group and each teacher's home school. Some scholars have argued that both teacher-led groups and teacher agency can promote educational reform. While this study affirms that possibility, it also demonstrates that both may just as easily reinforce traditional social studies instruction. The study found that, although long-term group membership did enhance each participant's agency, some members used their agency to reinforce the status quo. This study has implications, not only for those who hope to promote inquiry-based social studies, but also for the implementation of any open-ended educational reform. Its primary lesson is that educational leaders and policymakers should pay close attention to the impact of the multiple contexts in which teachers simultaneously 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.]

Decision-making within school environments is critical to the continued improvement of services for all populations. Despite this high level of importance, there is limited information related to how systemic decisions are made in charter schools. There is also limited information on how charter school leaders interact with teachers and the impact their interactions may have on teacher participation in decision-making. By building on the literature on leadership styles and promotive and prohibitive voice, the current study sought to better understand potential antecedents to teacher voice, including influences from school leaders (i.e., leadership styles), institutional influences, and teacher perceptions of their current school environments using mixed methodology. [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.]

This study examines the complex dynamics of teacher retention within Catholic schools, seeking to understand the motivations, factors and alignment of reasons provided by teachers for their decision to stay or leave their positions. Utilizing Sher's Theoretical Framework (1983) as its guiding principle, the study examines the factors that motivate and influence teachers; decisions with the educational settings, encompassing community, compensation, working conditions and autonomy. Through a case study approach, utilizing structured pre-interview questionnaires, Zoom semi structures interviews and Zoom focus groups, this study offers a firsthand account capturing perceptions and lived experiences of teachers in Catholic schools. Emerging for the data analysis was a variety of teacher dissatisfaction concerning compensation and working conditions, as seen in many other studies concerning teacher retention. This research also points out the importance of addressing compensation gaps, the quality of working conditions, and promoting autonomy as a way to increase overall teacher satisfaction and retention in the Catholic school sector. Overall, this study contributes valuable insights to the field of educational research, shedding lights on critical factors influencing teacher retention dynamics with the unique content of Catholic education. [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.]

This dissertation investigated teacher agency in a rural elementary school. Agency is a construct of understanding how individuals become connected or disconnected with their environment, which influences their interactions with other people, places, and things (Emirbayer & Mische, 1998). At this time, agency is important to study because it is in a fragile state, which could be a reason for high rates of teacher attrition (Bartell et al., 2019; Sloan, 2006). This study explored teacher agency through the lens of ecological agency. The theory of ecological agency theorizes that teachers make decisions based upon environmental elements present in schools (Biesta et al., 2015). Environmental elements can include teacher education prep, professional discourse, cultural or social conditions, administration, recent educational policy, professional development, collaboration, or PLCs. These elements can impact agency in positive or negative ways. The study utilized a mixed methods approach. For the quantitative data collection, participants responded to the Teacher Ecological Agency questionnaire (Ghamoushi et al., 2022). These responses were followed up with the ten semi-structured interview sessions and document collection. The quantitative data analysis revealed little variation in the data spread. Qualitative data analysis found the following areas of significance: collaboration, autonomy, administration's influence on instruction, and past educational experiences. An integration of the quantitative and qualitative data sets found convergence regarding autonomy and collaboration. However, areas of divergence were found regarding administration's influence on instruction and past educational experiences. The discussion section of the paper examined the impact of career-stage, teacher identity, self-efficacy, and teacher autonomy on agency. Implications for teachers at all career-stages and for administration were explored. Limitations of the study include a small sample size and number of interview participants as well as a limited time to devote to data collection and analysis. Strengths of the study include a questionnaire response rate of 87%. [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.]

This dissertation investigated teacher agency in a rural elementary school. Agency is a construct of understanding how individuals become connected or disconnected with their environment, which influences their interactions with other people, places, and things (Emirbayer & Mische, 1998). At this time, agency is important to study because it is in a fragile state, which could be a reason for high rates of teacher attrition (Bartell et al., 2019; Sloan, 2006). This study explored teacher agency through the lens of ecological agency. The theory of ecological agency theorizes that teachers make decisions based upon environmental elements present in schools (Biesta et al., 2015). Environmental elements can include teacher education prep, professional discourse, cultural or social conditions, administration, recent educational policy, professional development, collaboration, or PLCs. These elements can impact agency in positive or negative ways. The study utilized a mixed methods approach. For the quantitative data collection, participants responded to the Teacher Ecological Agency questionnaire (Ghamoushi et al., 2022). These responses were followed up with the ten semi-structured interview sessions and document collection. The quantitative data analysis revealed little variation in the data spread. Qualitative data analysis found the following areas of significance: collaboration, autonomy, administration's influence on instruction, and past educational experiences. An integration of the quantitative and qualitative data sets found convergence regarding autonomy and collaboration. However, areas of divergence were found regarding administration's influence on instruction and past educational experiences. The discussion section of the paper examined the impact of career-stage, teacher identity, self-efficacy, and teacher autonomy on agency. Implications for teachers at all career-stages and for administration were explored. Limitations of the study include a small sample size and number of interview participants as well as a limited time to devote to data collection and analysis. Strengths of the study include a questionnaire response rate of 87%. [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.]

This dissertation investigated teacher agency in a rural elementary school. Agency is a construct of understanding how individuals become connected or disconnected with their environment, which influences their interactions with other people, places, and things (Emirbayer & Mische, 1998). At this time, agency is important to study because it is in a fragile state, which could be a reason for high rates of teacher attrition (Bartell et al., 2019; Sloan, 2006). This study explored teacher agency through the lens of ecological agency. The theory of ecological agency theorizes that teachers make decisions based upon environmental elements present in schools (Biesta et al., 2015). Environmental elements can include teacher education prep, professional discourse, cultural or social conditions, administration, recent educational policy, professional development, collaboration, or PLCs. These elements can impact agency in positive or negative ways. The study utilized a mixed methods approach. For the quantitative data collection, participants responded to the Teacher Ecological Agency questionnaire (Ghamoushi et al., 2022). These responses were followed up with the ten semi-structured interview sessions and document collection. The quantitative data analysis revealed little variation in the data spread. Qualitative data analysis found the following areas of significance: collaboration, autonomy, administration's influence on instruction, and past educational experiences. An integration of the quantitative and qualitative data sets found convergence regarding autonomy and collaboration. However, areas of divergence were found regarding administration's influence on instruction and past educational experiences. The discussion section of the paper examined the impact of career-stage, teacher identity, self-efficacy, and teacher autonomy on agency. Implications for teachers at all career-stages and for administration were explored. Limitations of the study include a small sample size and number of interview participants as well as a limited time to devote to data collection and analysis. Strengths of the study include a questionnaire response rate of 87%. [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.]

Teacher attrition in public education in the United States is a critical issue. While much attention has been given to new professionals, mid-career teachers -- those with five to fifteen years of experience -- often get overlooked and are now beginning to veer off their chosen career paths at increasing rates. One area greatly impacted by the teacher shortage is South Carolina. Our exploratory qualitative research study explored the factors that contribute to mid-career teacher attrition from rural schools in the state and how they explained their decisions to exit the profession. Utilizing in-depth interviews with six former South Carolina teachers, we conducted a thematic analysis of their responses and found that their decisions were complex. Examining our findings through the lenses of self-determination theory, self-efficacy, and teacher craft conscience, eight factors emerged from the data: work-life balance, compensation, autonomy, leadership, peer relationships, safety, the current political climate, and COVID-19. From our analysis, we concluded that the teacher workload and the lack of compensation for the time needed to do their jobs with integrity combined with the demands of their personal lives at this stage created a perfect storm in which our participants asked themselves: Is this worth it? Work-life balance as well as the other factors listed ultimately influenced them to shift gears and leave education. The findings of our study contribute to existing research pertaining to mid-career teacher attrition and inform public school stakeholders as they work toward finding solutions to the teacher attrition phenomenon. [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.]

Teacher attrition in public education in the United States is a critical issue. While much attention has been given to new professionals, mid-career teachers -- those with five to fifteen years of experience -- often get overlooked and are now beginning to veer off their chosen career paths at increasing rates. One area greatly impacted by the teacher shortage is South Carolina. Our exploratory qualitative research study explored the factors that contribute to mid-career teacher attrition from rural schools in the state and how they explained their decisions to exit the profession. Utilizing in-depth interviews with six former South Carolina teachers, we conducted a thematic analysis of their responses and found that their decisions were complex. Examining our findings through the lenses of self-determination theory, self-efficacy, and teacher craft conscience, eight factors emerged from the data: work-life balance, compensation, autonomy, leadership, peer relationships, safety, the current political climate, and COVID-19. From our analysis, we concluded that the teacher workload and the lack of compensation for the time needed to do their jobs with integrity combined with the demands of their personal lives at this stage created a perfect storm in which our participants asked themselves: Is this worth it? Work-life balance as well as the other factors listed ultimately influenced them to shift gears and leave education. The findings of our study contribute to existing research pertaining to mid-career teacher attrition and inform public school stakeholders as they work toward finding solutions to the teacher attrition phenomenon. [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.]

Teacher attrition in public education in the United States is a critical issue. While much attention has been given to new professionals, mid-career teachers -- those with five to fifteen years of experience -- often get overlooked and are now beginning to veer off their chosen career paths at increasing rates. One area greatly impacted by the teacher shortage is South Carolina. Our exploratory qualitative research study explored the factors that contribute to mid-career teacher attrition from rural schools in the state and how they explained their decisions to exit the profession. Utilizing in-depth interviews with six former South Carolina teachers, we conducted a thematic analysis of their responses and found that their decisions were complex. Examining our findings through the lenses of self-determination theory, self-efficacy, and teacher craft conscience, eight factors emerged from the data: work-life balance, compensation, autonomy, leadership, peer relationships, safety, the current political climate, and COVID-19. From our analysis, we concluded that the teacher workload and the lack of compensation for the time needed to do their jobs with integrity combined with the demands of their personal lives at this stage created a perfect storm in which our participants asked themselves: Is this worth it? Work-life balance as well as the other factors listed ultimately influenced them to shift gears and leave education. The findings of our study contribute to existing research pertaining to mid-career teacher attrition and inform public school stakeholders as they work toward finding solutions to the teacher attrition phenomenon. [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.]

Standalone programs are those that have a single teacher who is responsible for all classes within the program. This qualitative case study was intended to explore the perceptions and reactions of teachers of standalone programs on self-selected online professional development. In this study, andragogy, the study of adult learning, provided the theoretical framework. The problem was the lack of professional development with relevant content, collaboration, and supports for teachers of standalone programs. Guidance for this research study came from three research questions. The sample for this study was nine teachers of standalone programs from a mid-western suburban school district. Zoom software was used to collect using individual semi-structured interviews and a focus group. Once the data were collected, the thematic analysis approach was applied to reveal four themes. The findings suggested that teachers need (a) autonomy and choice, (b) group representation during professional development sessions, (c) collaboration before, during, and after professional development, and (d) ongoing access to knowledge when considering self-selected online professional development. The implications of the findings are that there is a lack of professional development with these characteristics. Teachers of standalone programs self-selected online professional development, but these online professional development sessions did not meet all the needs of teachers of standalone programs. Recommendations for future practice is that development of professional development should include individual professional development plans, create professional development design committees that include teachers of standalone programs, and should continuously evaluate the needs of teachers of standalone programs. Recommendations for future research should be expanded to include school administrators, a focus on the individual themes of this study, and the perceptions and reactions of teachers of standalone programs on informal learning. [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.]

The problem addressed in this study was the high attrition rates of teachers in elementary school districts and the unknown role of human, social, structural, and psychological capital determinants needed to retain teachers. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to describe the experiences of veteran K-6 teachers in the South Cook Region of suburban Chicago, Illinois, regarding the role of these capitals as they relate to teacher retention. This study was conducted using a descriptive case study. To qualify, teachers must have taught for 11 years or more in their school district in the South Cook region in a K-6 setting. Potential participants were screened using a Qualtrics survey, and eight were chosen using purposeful sampling. Data was collected through a questionnaire and Zoom interview. Otter.ai was used to transcribe interviews. Findings were provided narratively after being coded inductively and deductively. The study elicited several findings. Teachers do not feel as though they have a choice in what professional development they are given. Teachers feel overworked and that they do not have enough time to do the work required of them by their district. Teachers feel that they have little to no autonomy to choose their own curriculum. It is unclear whether teachers feel job satisfaction in the field. The implications for practice indicate teachers want choice in their professional development and in their classroom. Teachers also need support for student behaviors. Teachers feel overworked and would like their workload to be revisited and tasks that are no longer relevant or beneficial to the school to be reduced. [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.]

Teachers in public and independent schools have left the field of education at a staggering rate. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand what factors kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers describe as influencing their decisions to remain in independent day schools in Florida. For the purpose of this study, independent education is defined as private schools. Five participants were interviewed for the study. The two themes developed in the study were differences from public schools and school leadership. The subthemes for differences from public schools were flexibility, teacher autonomy, and freedom from government control while subthemes for school leadership were supportive school leaders and unsupportive school leaders. Differences from public schools and school leadership influenced a teacher's decision to remain in independent day schools in Florida. [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.]

Students need qualified and caring adults to guide their academic and socioemotional development. In the United States and abroad, experienced and novice educators are leaving the profession at an accelerated pace, and the pipeline of individuals enrolled in teacher preparation programs has declined. Framed under Maslow's theoretical framework of human motivation, this mixed-methods study examines how Catholic and public school K-12 teachers perceive factors impacting their motivation to remain employed in their educational setting. The five research questions that guided this study were: Based on survey and interview data, what do Catholic and public school teachers perceive about how their physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, self-esteem, and self-actualization needs in their place of employment? The quantitative portion of this study used a convenience sample of 84 Catholic and public school teachers to complete an anonymous 5-point Likert survey. The qualitative portion of this study used a sample of eight Catholic and public school teachers who participated in semi-structured interviews. The results of the quantitative portion revealed that Catholic and public school teachers perceived their school environments and cultures in a statistically significant different manner. Data indicated that Catholic teachers felt more supported and respected in their communities, and could express themselves without fear of retaliation at higher rates. At the same time, the qualitative data provided insights into why this might be true. In keeping with existing literature, this revealed that compensation was not the primary motivation behind retention. [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.]

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to understand the motivations and processes faculty used to design first-year undergraduate classes with international and/or intercultural content. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 7 professors at a large public university in the United States with very high research activity. Professors viewed their own international experiences as fundamental to their personal and professional development and were motivated to add international and intercultural content to their course design by the opportunity to offer their students learning opportunities of a similar nature. Besides the varied subject-specific learning goals, these first-year seminars had the common goal of broadening students' horizons and developing students' intercultural knowledge and skills. The findings suggest that internationalization of the curriculum can be occur naturally under appropriate conditions, which include faculty with international experience and the autonomy in course design. This understanding offers useful insight to higher education leaders who intend to engage in internationalization efforts beyond student mobility. [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.]

This study examines how teacher leaders across the Central Valley support the implementation of the English Language Roadmap Policy (ELRP) utilizing a qualitative, multi-case study approach. Relying on semi-structured interviews and a series of project presentations, this study examines teacher leaders' perceptions and identifies the attributes of four individuals who act as teacher leaders. Based on the data analysis and interpretation of the information from the transcripts, field notes, and documents, four primary themes were revealed. The first theme that emerged reflected the teacher leaders' understanding of the problems and obstructions they experienced in their local context. The second theme identified a discrepancy of knowledge between teachers' and leaders' knowledge on English language policy requirements. The third theme noted qualities that the teacher leaders demonstrated implementing the ELRP. The fourth and final theme centers around the experiences of teacher leaders during the professional development opportunities provided by the Teach Plus program. These themes provide insight into how teacher leaders who participate in the implementation of ELRP develop agency, self-authorship, and equity conscious teaching practices. The results of this study provide added insights for teacher leaders seeking to create an organizational culture that fosters teacher reflection under an effective and student-centered policy. [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.]

Teacher professional learning is of increasing interest as education professionals continually seek ways to support 21st-century learners. Continuing education is necessary for teachers to expand their knowledge base and remain current on the latest educational research; therefore, professional development is a staple in the teaching profession. To maximize teacher learning, it is important to look toward the principles that guide teacher agency. Teachers request options for professional development; however, professional development is frequently created in a top-down approach, leaving teachers choiceless and voiceless, which restricts teacher agency. Currently, professional learning communities are one such path that may create space for ongoing and sustained professional development where teacher agency is enacted. Professional learning communities are designed to provide a platform where teacher competencies are enhanced, which builds confidence and further serves as a mechanism for developing teacher agency. Identifying the conditions necessary for teachers to enact agency will contribute to more effective and valuable professional development opportunities. [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.]

This dissertation aims to center the experiences of first-year writing educators in one program with a shared curriculum. Guided by social theories of learning and scholarship and practices in writing studies and writing program administration, I conducted qualitative surveys and interviews with teaching-focused faculty and graduate teaching assistants to ask how they connected their agency, learning, and goals with a shared curriculum. This led to conversations about how a shared curriculum both supplies and limits possibilities for learning and agency in a writing program, specifically involving program materials, professional development, and program revision. Resulting from what I learned with and from the educators participating in my research, I suggest that writing program administrators consider how to consistently learn from the expertise that teachers have and create more opportunities where teachers can influence the program's design. [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.]

Understanding how partnership teachers experience their role in preparing future teachers provides valuable insights for all educators. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to understand the collaborative experiences of partnership teachers as they work to support teacher candidates during their student teaching internships. I conducted focus groups with seven veteran secondary partnership teachers in the Eastern United States and follow-up interviews with two of the seven participants. I used narrative inquiry to capture and present these partnership teachers' voices and collaborative experiences. I identified seven themes: defining collaboration throughout student teaching, the level of control versus autonomy, the importance of teacher toolboxes, reciprocal relationships, diversity, missed opportunities for collaboration with the university, and why partnership teachers host teacher candidates. The findings indicate that partnership teachers use a mixture of cognitive apprenticeship and mentoring methods in their work and highlight the importance of co-thinking and reflection. Implications from the study include suggestions for partnership teachers to focus on relationships and learning from each other and for teacher educators to involve partnership teachers throughout teacher preparation coursework. The years of experience a partnership teacher has matters, and they need opportunities to collaborate with teacher preparation programs. [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.]

The interplay between teacher knowledge and pedagogical practices in diverse classroom contexts is situated in teachers' identities as theorizers, interpreters, and critics of their own practice. Understanding how professional learning is mediated in this context is critical to both the construction of new knowledge and the application of knowledge into practice. This study examined how teachers' social networks contribute to knowledge production and inform professional practice. This research sought to address the gap in the literature concerning professional development experiences in rural schools. Through a combination of qualitative inquiry and social network analysis, the study examined the impact of an innovative professional development model on mediating new learning through social exchanges, encouraging teachers to consider conceptual innovations and integrate them into practice. Analysis revealed that while the innovation aimed to promote collaboration, structural constraints and individual intentions influenced the nature of interactions within the school community, directly affecting the implementation of new instructional practices in classrooms. While teachers tended to form relationships based on expertise and individuals' positions within the network, there was minimal engagement beyond scheduled professional development activities. Despite challenges in implementation, instances of agentic potential emerged within the school community. This study underscores the complex nature of professional learning, emphasizing the importance of flexible, teacher-centered approaches that acknowledge the multifaceted dimensions of learning and change. By leveraging social networks and cultivating a supportive environment, educators can navigate challenges and enact meaningful educational reforms that empower both individuals and communities within educational settings. This research provides insights into the interconnected dynamics of teacher interactions, professional learning, and organizational change, offering meaningful insights for practice and future research in educational contexts. [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 science teachers gain increasing access to resources through an ever-expanding resource system, the study of how science teachers decide which resources to use and how to use them becomes increasingly important and complex. When science teachers exercise agency to select and adapt resources in alignment with their context, teaching and learning can improve. However, little is known about the ways in which school and district infrastructure mediate these processes. This study uses the documentational approach to didactics (DAD) and the structure-agency dialectic to explore how instructional guidance infrastructure (IGIs) influenced science teachers in one district to select, adapt, and use a set of instructional resources developed by other teachers in the district with the goal of creating collections of resources aligned with the district's infrastructure. This two-phase, explanatory sequential mixed methods study featured the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data with the purpose of exploring how teachers used the collections' resources, if at all, and how IGIs shaped these decisions. In the first phase, metadata from teachers' access to the resource collections was used to create a set of initial conjectures about the nature of teachers' work with the resources and to create a sampling frame for further analysis. In the second phase of the study, teacher interviews and teaching artifacts were used to construct case narratives illustrating how teachers used these resources, if at all, and how IGIs influenced these decisions. Results of this study indicated that teachers' past experience with resources in their content area played an influential role in how teachers searched for, interpreted, evaluated, adapted, and implemented resources. Several IGIs influenced each stage of this work by enabling and/or constraining teachers' agency for using these resources, often in inconspicuous ways. These findings provided insight into the ways in which science teachers selected and adapted resources to create coherence with their infrastructure, informing the future design of resources and the IGIs that support teachers' work with resources. [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.]

The research described in this study sought to understand how teacher agency was influenced by engaging teachers in action research-based professional development. Teacher agency is a critical component of teacher professionalism and nurturing teachers to recognize and enact greater agency has the potential to elevate the profession of teaching. A mixed methods methodology was employed to study the lived experience of six teachers who engaged in teacher research in a rural Alaskan school district. The research addressed this overarching question: How does engaging teachers in action research-based professional development about their professional practices influence teacher agency? In addition, data was collected to understand these supporting research questions: 1) How does participating in the action research-based professional development influence teachers' professional practices? 2) How does participating in the action research-based professional development influence collaborative practices? Findings and results suggest that the teachers' agency was influenced in the following ways: teacher engagement, knowing impact, empowerment by trust, and critical consciousness. Findings and results suggest that the teachers' professional practices were influenced in the following ways: intention and design, research capacity, determining impact, and dispositions. Findings and results suggest that the teachers' collaborative practices were influenced in the following ways: shared experience and a culture of willingness to learn. Convergence was observed between qualitative results and quantitative findings. Implications for influencing teacher agency through specific contextual conditions of professional learning and development are discussed and recommendations for the direction of future research. [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.]

Effective, engaging teacher collaboration contributes to continuous school improvement and overall student success. This formative, internal program evaluation used a combination of objectives-based and improvement-focused models to determine what worked well in mandated PLCs at MHS, what aspects of these PLCs needed improvement, and what suggestions for improvement the participants recommended within an American high school located in Asia. Within this school, collaboration time was mandated as a means of meeting new accreditation performance standards. This program evaluation used a non-experimental, single group, embedded case study design and gathered data via program data, interviews, journal prompts, and program documents to capture the perspectives and experiences of seven teachers participating in a mandated PLC. This evaluation was guided by the following central research question: What are the perspectives and experiences of teachers working within a mandated PLC in an international school? In addition, three focused research questions were used to support this central question: 1. What, if anything, is working well in the mandated PLC? 2. What challenges, if any, have the teachers participating in the mandated PLC faced? 3. What suggestions and recommendations, if any, do the teachers have for improving the quality, relevance, and utility of the PLC? This dissertation's results are informative for school and district leaders. More specifically, they help identify ways to counteract the negative effects associated with mandated PLCs. For instance, teachers recommend more autonomy in selecting PLC groups and the focus of their PLC based on their needs and experiences, as well as the methods they use to collaborate. They also suggest that the district should develop a collaborative culture for educators in addition to providing them with more support in the form of clearer guidance on how to implement the PLC processes and expectations. [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.]

This study explored the predictability of motivation by analyzing effects of five elementary principal traits on teacher perceptions of competence, relatedness, and autonomy. My focus on this topic evolved from mounting teacher shortages across the United States. Through quantitative methods, I developed a factorial survey experiment. Using vignette methodology, I manipulated primary independent variables of principal gender, years of elementary teaching experience, and behaviors linked to basic psychological needs. I delivered traits hypothetically through two polar styles of leadership--transactional and collaborative. I examined motivation through Deci and Ryan's (1985) self-determination theory, Ryan and Deci's (2018) basic psychological needs theory, and Bandura's (1997) self-efficacy theory. The sample included 220 teachers from 26 schools across nine districts in rural Northeast Georgia. I used multiple linear regression to examine predictability of variables and one-way ANOVA to compare ratings among demographic groups. Results showed principal gender had no significant effect on teacher perceptions of competence and autonomy. Principal years of elementary teaching experience showed significant predictability of perceptions. Principal behaviors linked to competence, relatedness, and autonomy showed significant predictability of teacher perceptions. Autonomy-supportive traits filtered through collaborative leadership showed the largest effect size of all independent variables. There were no significant differences in teacher ratings based on respondent demographics. [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.]

This qualitative study examined the narrative of community college educators during their journey to embrace a playful teaching practice. Data collection included the narratives produced within a Community of Practice, focus groups with both students and educators, and document analysis. Data analysis revealed six themes. The first theme, origins of play, demonstrated how teachers' playful journey began. The second theme, motivations to become playful, discusses faculty's desire to use play as everyday resistance against traditional pedagogy. The third theme, playful characteristics, revealed the attributes playful educators embedded such as adaptability, organization, joy, and self-acceptance. The fourth theme, the purpose of play, presented four intentions behind playful teaching practices: promoting knowledge assimilation and creation, community building, personal development, and socio-emotional learning. The fifth theme, the context of play, discusses three challenges playful teachers confront and the solutions they created: pushing against stereotypes through transparent communication; negotiating restrictive course structure through finding one's own playful style; and navigating unexpected outcomes through flexibility and failing forward. The sixth theme, benefits of play, revealed that students who engage in playful activities achieve meaningful learning, increased confidence, sense of belonging, and strengthened intrinsic motivation. Outcomes for educators include strengthening their agency, enriching their professional identity within academia, community building, and self-actualization. Conclusions establish the value of play among adults in the postsecondary setting. Recommendations for practice encompass cultivating playful collaborations across disciplines, campuses, and continents; strengthening everyday acts of playful resistance beyond the classroom; and educational leadership embodying a playful outlook. Future research includes investigating cultural realities of play, the longitudinal impact of play on nontraditional transfer students, and integrating play within teacher preparation programs. [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.]