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Perceptions of Succession Planning in Educational Organizations: A Mixed-Method Study of Four Florida School Districts
Title
Perceptions of Succession Planning in Educational Organizations: A Mixed-Method Study of Four Florida School Districts.
Creator
Parfitt, Christopher Michael, College of Education
Abstract / Description
Through a mixed-method, sequential-explanatory study, perceptions of succession planning were researched in four school districts in the State of Florida. The study was conducted in two phases. For the quantitative phase, 99 participants responded to an online survey. The survey contained 44 items in five categories: (a) demographic information, (b) identification of talent, (c) development and mentoring, (d) retention of talent, and (e) organizational culture. The categories were created...
Show moreThrough a mixed-method, sequential-explanatory study, perceptions of succession planning were researched in four school districts in the State of Florida. The study was conducted in two phases. For the quantitative phase, 99 participants responded to an online survey. The survey contained 44 items in five categories: (a) demographic information, (b) identification of talent, (c) development and mentoring, (d) retention of talent, and (e) organizational culture. The categories were created based on scholarly research. Results were analyzed using SPSS, and separate MANOVAs found there were no statistically significant differences among independent variables: (a) age range, (b) position, (c) school district, (d) school level, and (e) years of experience. The respondents indicated input, development, and review of a succession plan were conducted infrequently. According to respondents, opportunities for development and a clear list of the requisite qualifications for administrative positions occurred frequently. Based on the quantitative survey answers, 12 interview questions were developed for the qualitative phase of the study. A total of 11 individuals participated in the follow-up interviews comprising a collective case study. The qualitative findings included five major themes pertaining to succession planning: (a) culture, including a lack of consideration and politics; (b) mentoring, and the importance of informal mentoring; (c) situational input, in which a person was provided an opportunity for input, with no guarantee of the final result; (d) job complexity and a lack of resources, and (e) a lack of input from various stakeholders. The complete findings may be used by school districts to create and revise succession plans, by using multiple measures to identify candidates, provide targeted and specific development and mentoring opportunities, and retain the highest performing employees, all while honoring the unique organizational culture.
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Date Issued
2017-06-06
Identifier
Parfitt_fgcu_1743_10255
Format
Document (PDF)
TEACHER AND ADMINISTRATOR PERCEPTIONS OF RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PRACTICES IN ONE LARGE SCHOOL IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA
Title
TEACHER AND ADMINISTRATOR PERCEPTIONS OF RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PRACTICES IN ONE LARGE SCHOOL IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA.
Creator
Restino, Joseph, College of Education
Abstract / Description
Increasingly, school officials are administering discipline, particularly exclusionary disciplinary practices such as suspension and expulsion, disproportionately to students of color and students with disabilities. An alternative to exclusionary discipline is restorative justice practices (RJP). RJP is a collection of strategies that educators can use with students and stakeholders to establish positive relationships to reduce unacceptable student conduct and increase time learning. Through...
Show moreIncreasingly, school officials are administering discipline, particularly exclusionary disciplinary practices such as suspension and expulsion, disproportionately to students of color and students with disabilities. An alternative to exclusionary discipline is restorative justice practices (RJP). RJP is a collection of strategies that educators can use with students and stakeholders to establish positive relationships to reduce unacceptable student conduct and increase time learning. Through this study, I explored the factors that influence the perceptions of teachers and leaders and how those perceptions impact the integration of RJP in individual classrooms. Three critical aspects comprised the conceptual framework: (a) administrator beliefs and practices, (b) teacher perceptions, and (c) valid enactment of RJP. Through an explanatory intrinsic case study, teachers and administrators were interviewed using an interview protocol to determine their perceptions of a RJP workshop that was delivered during the pre-school week of the 2019-2020 academic school year and the impact it had on their implementation of those practices in their classrooms. Relevant documents such as disciplinary referral data, workshop training materials, and school and district discipline policies were collected to add trustworthiness to my findings. Through an analysis of the data collected, the following factors emerged that impacted the use of RJP at East Middle School: (a) time, (b) workshop format, (c) experience, (d) administrator philosophy, (e) administrator commitment, (f) positive perceptions of support, and (e) negative perceptions of support. Implications that arose from the study were: (a) aligning administrator philosophies with the program that is being implemented, (b) tailoring professional development to the teachers in the building, and (c) instituting an appropriate monitoring and accountability plan for the implementation process.
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Date Issued
2020-08-31
Identifier
fgcu_ETD_0348
Format
Document (PDF)
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INQUIRY-BASED VS. DIDACTIC TEACHING METHODS ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN UNDERGRADUATE STATISTICS
Title
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INQUIRY-BASED VS. DIDACTIC TEACHING METHODS ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN UNDERGRADUATE STATISTICS.
Creator
Nichols, Robert Lee, College of Education
Abstract / Description
This study explored the impact of instructional style in the teaching of introductory statistics on students’ attitudes towards statistics and on students’ academic outcomes in statistics courses. Four university statistics instructors were surveyed to identify their instructional style. In addition, their students’ (n=313) mean course scores and mean scores on the Learning Outcomes for Statistical Methods instrument were analyzed. Based on an independent measure of learning outcomes for...
Show moreThis study explored the impact of instructional style in the teaching of introductory statistics on students’ attitudes towards statistics and on students’ academic outcomes in statistics courses. Four university statistics instructors were surveyed to identify their instructional style. In addition, their students’ (n=313) mean course scores and mean scores on the Learning Outcomes for Statistical Methods instrument were analyzed. Based on an independent measure of learning outcomes for students, the data indicate instructional styles that are more inquiry-based may be more effective overall for student achievement on the Learning Outcomes for Statistical Methods instrument. There was a significant decrease found between pre- and post-survey SATS-36 means for the students’ Value, Interest, and Effort component scores. This indicates students found less value, interest, and effort required for statistics after taking a statistical methods course. In addition, students who score higher on the pre-SATS-36 Affect, Cognitive, and Effort sub-scores tended to have higher final course averages. In an analysis of gender, male students view statistics more favorably than female students, male students believe statistics is more difficult than female students, and male students believe statistics requires less effort than female students. Finally, students with a higher stress level tended to have a lower Learning Outcomes for Statistical Methods average.
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Date Issued
2017-05
Identifier
Nichols_fgcu_1743_10252
Format
Document (PDF)
The lived experience of in-service teachers using synchronous technology: A phenomenological study
Title
The lived experience of in-service teachers using synchronous technology: A phenomenological study.
Creator
Vasquez, Sarah, College of Education
Abstract / Description
Unlike most online professional development opportunities, synchronous technology affords immediate communications for discussion and feedback while interacting with participants simultaneously through text, audio, video, and screen sharing. The purpose of this study is to find answers to meet the practical need to inform, design, and implement in-service teacher’s professional development with a focus on using synchronous technology for learning and instruction. The study examined the...
Show moreUnlike most online professional development opportunities, synchronous technology affords immediate communications for discussion and feedback while interacting with participants simultaneously through text, audio, video, and screen sharing. The purpose of this study is to find answers to meet the practical need to inform, design, and implement in-service teacher’s professional development with a focus on using synchronous technology for learning and instruction. The study examined the following questions: 1) what is the lived experience of in-service teachers going through professional development when using synchronous technology; and 2) what is the lived experience of in-service teachers using synchronous technology after the professional development. The participants in this phenomenological study included nine in-service teachers located in four states. The study used questionnaires, individual interviews, a focus group interview, online meeting sessions, and online surveys to answer the research questions. The data was analyzed exercising a reiterative process allowing time to process the information, code for themes, write, and reflect on the findings. The analysis uncovered in-service teachers were apprehensive when it came to using synchronous technology for professional development, but also held a desire to learn more. Furthermore, teachers believed using synchronous technology could help them better connect with other educators and found many conveniences once they became more familiar with it. Additionally, they expressed a need for continued support as they learned and used the technology, and were anxious to continue to use it. This study fills the current gap in professional literature that reveals the lived experience of in-service teachers using synchronous technology for professional development purposes and for learning and instruction. The findings inform professional development program developers of the lived experience of in-service teachers in an effort to support stronger designs and implementations of professional development programs delivered through synchronous technology. The findings also offer implications for integrating synchronous technology by in-service teachers at schools to learn and improve their teaching practice.
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Date Issued
2017
Identifier
Vasquez_fgcu_1743_10260
Format
Document (PDF)
Time Precarity and Correspondence in Public Schools
Title
Time Precarity and Correspondence in Public Schools.
Creator
Kaye, Matthew Pedersen, College of Education
Abstract / Description
This study aimed to resituate the critical educational theory of correspondence and a hidden curriculum in public schools within the modern critical landscape of time precarity. Through a mixed-methods exploratory design, this study employed and refined a novel survey instrument to measure educator perceptions of time governance in schools and its relationship to the predominant socioeconomic class status of their students. The quantitative findings indicated strong support for the governance...
Show moreThis study aimed to resituate the critical educational theory of correspondence and a hidden curriculum in public schools within the modern critical landscape of time precarity. Through a mixed-methods exploratory design, this study employed and refined a novel survey instrument to measure educator perceptions of time governance in schools and its relationship to the predominant socioeconomic class status of their students. The quantitative findings indicated strong support for the governance of student time, but the sample size limited its ability to determine variations by student socioeconomic class. Interviews were conducted to contextualize the quantitative data and explore teacher practices as they relate to perceptions. The interview findings provided strong support for the correspondence theory aligned to the modern research on time precarity and its variations by socioeconomic class. The report also includes analysis of the implications of the study and recommendations for future research.
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Date Issued
2020-08-10
Identifier
fgcu_ETD_0346
Format
Document (PDF)
 BRIDGING THE GAP: A QUALITATIVE PHENOMENOLOGY FOCUSING ON THE PERSPECTIVES OF PRE-SERVICE AND FIRST-YEAR TEACHERS
Title
 BRIDGING THE GAP: A QUALITATIVE PHENOMENOLOGY FOCUSING ON THE PERSPECTIVES OF PRE-SERVICE AND FIRST-YEAR TEACHERS.
Creator
Scrant, Jennifer Nicole, College of Education
Abstract / Description
Retaining first-year teachers in the school district under study was challenging. During the 2013-2014 school year, approximately 309 newly hired teachers separated from the district. This number slightly decreased in 2015-2016, with approximately 307 new first-year teachers hired and 30 of these newly hired teachers separating from the district during that year (District, 2017). Most recently, during 2016-2017, approximately 372 new first-year teachers were hired and 23 of these newly hired...
Show moreRetaining first-year teachers in the school district under study was challenging. During the 2013-2014 school year, approximately 309 newly hired teachers separated from the district. This number slightly decreased in 2015-2016, with approximately 307 new first-year teachers hired and 30 of these newly hired teachers separating from the district during that year (District, 2017). Most recently, during 2016-2017, approximately 372 new first-year teachers were hired and 23 of these newly hired teachers separated from the district (District, 2017). Two in-depth interviews and one focus group were conducted to capture the lived experiences of eight pre-service teachers entering into their first-year of teaching in the school district. Despite their teacher preparation program, these first-year teachers were caught off guard by the realities of teaching Three common themes permeated throughout the study were teacher preparation, classroom management and administrative support. Each participant also experienced three of Moir’s Phases of First-Year Teaching; Anticipation, Survival and Reflection. The findings from this study provided insight to the university, district personnel and administrative teams about how to bridge the gap from being a pre-service teacher to becoming a first-year teacher. It was critical that administrative teams, district personnel, and teacher educators were aware of the recommendations so they could continue to enhance or modify their current programs, professional development trainings and support systems for first-year teachers. Based on the participants’ lived experiences, areas for improvement included improved networking, review of current systems or programs, and extended field experience.
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Date Issued
2017
Identifier
Scrant_fgcu_1743_10262
Format
Document (PDF)