Today's globalized world presents challenges for formulating language education policies in multilingual countries, and postcolonial Nigeria presents a dramatic illustration because of ongoing colonial influences as well as neocolonial factors. This study focused on dialectical relations over time among languages in Nigeria's National Policy on Education (NPE), published in 1977, 1981, 1998, 2004, 2013, and 2014. The title of the study harks to Chinua Achebe's novel, Things Fall Apart, which described the disruption of tribal cultures and languages when Europeans brought their culture and language to Nigeria. Attention in this dissertation, which examined Nigerian education policy over four decades, was also on things falling apart, being resolved in some way, and then falling apart again. Four major dialectical tensions can be seen as the NPE went through revisions in language of instruction and language of study. First, relations between English and indigenous languages showed the increasing importance of English despite ostensible attempts to promote indigeneity through language. Particularly important was the influence of globalization, which emphasized neoliberal values and initiatives associated with global English. Second, relations among the various indigenous languages showed three languages—Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba—to be privileged over 522 other languages that were marginalized but retained as "mother …

This mixed-methods dissertation used an explanatory sequential design to examine art and mathematics preservice teachers' perceptions and attitudes towards integrating art and mathematics (IAM) after an IAM workshop. The conceptual framework of this study has its basis in three theoretical sources: constructivism, multiple intelligence theory, and semiotics. Each of these sources provides a conceptual lens to examine art integration in the curriculum and the teacher's role in facilitating this instructional process. Participants of this study included two sub-groups at a large university in Saudi Arabia. The first sub-group was preservice teachers of art education. The second sub-group was preservice teachers of mathematics. Quantitative and qualitative results indicated that the IAM workshop had positive impacts on art and mathematics preservice teachers' attitudes and perceptions of IAM. Participants attributed more value to art, were more willing to apply IAM, and felt that there was less barriers for applying IAM. The study also indicated differences between art and mathematics preservice teachers' attitudes towards IAM. The differences were due more to art value than willingness or barriers. After the IAM workshop, mathematics preservice teachers put more emphasis on the importance of art to mathematics, especially with respect to making mathematics a more enjoyable subject.

The study of self-efficacy in pre-service bilingual education teachers is not a thoroughly researched topic. This dissertation provides qualitative research about the inception of Spanish language self-efficacy of pre-service bilingual education teachers from a large university in Texas. By juxtaposing the experiences of two students with high levels of Spanish self-efficacy with two students who have low levels of Spanish self-efficacy, data gives insight to what influenced varying perceptions of self-efficacy amongst students who are in their last semester of coursework prior to student teaching. An extensive literature review provided the foundation for the conceptual framework. The framework includes individual backgrounds, societal influences, personal interactions, and modeling by others to note the evolution of each individuals' perception of self-efficacy in the Spanish language. Explicit instances of what experiences have had an impact on participants' Spanish language self-efficacy are highlighted. The resulting impacts to bilingual education and self-efficacy are discussed. Finally, the conclusion focuses on how this research can assist in promoting language equity for bilingual and multilingual students at varying academic levels.

This study examined how in-service teachers transformed professionally and personally as a result of participation in the International Teacher to Teacher Exchange Program (ITTTE). Six teachers, 3 from the U.S. and 3 from Guatemala, were paired. Each pair spent a total of 8 weeks together, in each other's countries, over the course of 2 years. The pairs reciprocated home stays, school engagement, and cultural learning in three cohorts; 2012-2014, 2014-2016, 2016-2018. In 2018, each participant engaged in a structured interview tailored to the ten meaning phases of Mezirow's transformative learning theory (TLT). The data were analyzed deductively, through the application of the ten meaning phases of transformation. The data were also analyzed inductively to determine additional themes of transformation. The deductive findings revealed 5 out of 6 participants experienced full transformative learning. All 3 Guatemalan teachers transformed professionally with new understandings of mathematics pedagogy. Two U.S. teachers transformed personally, one by learning how to be a more caring teacher and the other by overcoming shyness to engage as a relational teacher. The third U.S. teacher adopted the point of view that speaking a second language had value. The inductive analysis revealed emerged themes of learning, language, relationships, and program affecting …

Providing professional development to in-service teachers remains a high priority when attempting to meet state and federal school accountability requirements, yet principals may neglect teacher motivation and the teacher change process when facilitating teacher learning. Drawing on self-determination theory, this research examined social and environmental factors shaping teacher motivation in the context of lesson study with open approach. This descriptive case study included the perceptions of eight secondary mathematics teachers who engaged lesson study as a form of professional development. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews suggested the following contextual factors improve motivation: emerging proficiency, synergy, interpersonal dynamics, volition, and internalization. Additionally, apprehension, minor barriers, and contentious interpersonal dynamics may reduce intrinsic-like motivation. As teachers encountered supportive contextual factors, they satisfied their need to experience competence, relatedness, and autonomy which encouraged value internalization of new learning manifesting as an epistemological shift in teaching paradigm. By internalizing the value of new learning, teachers may become more likely to authentically enact new pedagogy in their classrooms. The results of this study indicated lesson study with open approach may provide a robust form of learning capable of changing prior instructional beliefs. These findings suggest principals create and maintain contextual factors (with deliberate intent) that …

Today's early childhood programs are required to have high-quality inclusive classrooms that serve preschool children with disabilities and diverse needs employed by highly-qualified early childhood teachers. The problem of this study was to describe the current status of pre-service teachers' perspectives of their own teacher self-efficacy, philosophical beliefs, and epistemological beliefs for inclusive practices in an early childhood classroom at the conclusion of an introductory early childhood education course. The study also looked at differences by certification track- EC-6 bilingual (n = 5), EC-6 generalist (n = 8), EC-6 ESL (n = 12), and all-level SpEd (n = 7). The participants (n = 32) were a convenient sample in an Introductory to Early Childhood Education course at a Texas university. Three post-course assignments (i.e. the final self-evaluation, the post-course philosophy of education, and the post-course successful early childhood inclusive teacher drawing) were given to students in an introductory early childhood course and were subjected to content analysis and thematic analysis. The TEIP survey was used as a framework for content analysis. The group-as-a-whole, the EC-6 bilingual, the EC-6 generalists, the all-level SpEd, and the EC-6 ESL certification track participants' teacher self-efficacy perspectives content showed high teacher self-efficacious comments in regards …

The purpose of this study was to investigate prospective teachers' conceptions of science instruction prior to the commencement of their early childhood education methods courses. A sample of 100 prospective teachers' drawings and narratives were analyzed using the STLP3 instrument and inductive analysis respectively. Merging findings from the aforementioned analyses resulted in 10 distinct conceptions and these included: (a) science instruction (1) as a demonstration, (2) as engagement, (3) as doing experiments, (4) as inquiry, and (5) as observation all underscored by active learning and social, implementation and cognitive dimensions; (b) science instruction (6) as implementing safety, and (7) as an interaction both underscored by active learning and a social dimension; and (c) science instruction (8) as a demonstration, and (9) as engagement both underscored by passive learning and an affective dimension; and (d) science instruction (10) as enjoyment underscored by social and affective dimensions. These findings reflected the complexity and multidimensionality of the prospective teachers' conceptions of science instruction. Implications include the need for teacher educators to situate their prospective teachers' prior and new knowledge of early childhood science instruction within theoretical frames rather than simply relying on prospective teachers' knowledge of science instruction from K-12 experiences. Implications for …

The purpose of this autoethnographic study was to critically examine my personal experiences with culture and race to better understand myself, my perceptions of culture and race, and how my perceptions of educators' interactions with culturally and racially diverse students may have been impacted as a result. Autoethnography is the study of self in which researchers draw on their own experiences to understand a culture or phenomenon. The following research questions guided the study: 1) what does an examination of my lived experiences as an African American female educator reveal about me? and 2) what are the potential implications for my role as an administrator? Data sources consisted of journal entries, notes, and narratives based on my lived experiences. The data were analyzed by initial coding to uncover recurring themes in the narratives of: 1) negative perceptions of those offended by issues of race; 2) the need to promote cultural awareness; and 3) personal silence around issues of race. The themes were then examined through the lens of critical race theory with specific attention to the tenets of permanence of race, interest convergence, intersectionality, and storytelling. The insights provided here in response to the first research question were then considered …