Leadership Research: Vol 05, No 1. (2014)

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https://hdl.handle.net/10613/3106

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    Professional grow plans and teacher learning
    (Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 2014) Spencer-Dahl, Denise
    Teacher self-efficacy beliefs and shared and supportive leadership practices were quantified in this study and correlated with attitudes towards the purpose of Professional Growth Plans. A paper based survey instrument was used to collect the data from participating teachers employed in School District 69 (Qualicum). Two hundred teachers were invited to be part of the study of which 88 participants completed the survey. It was hypothesized that teacher self-efficacy and perceived shared and supportive leadership behaviours would impact a teacher’s attitude towards adopting a Professional Grow Plan as a tool for student and teacher learning. This study found no correlations existed between teacher self-efficacy and perceived shared and supportive leadership practices. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the teachers’ beliefs about the proposed purpose of Professional Grow Plans indicated that they should be personal in nature and not be required to align with school, district or Ministry goals. There was a bimodal distribution of whether Professional Grow Plans should be used as a component of teacher evaluations. Further research is needed to determine if Professional Grow Plans should be pursued as a framework to guide funding and future professional development initiatives in School District 69 (Qualicum).
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    Interpreting identity– ‘seeing’ ourselves as leaders: the transformation of professional identity through visual culture
    (Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 2014) Kay, Tammy; Moll, Rachel
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    Academic engagement and achievement in high school mathematics
    (Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 2014) Pearce, Anne; Moll, Rachel
    The question addressed in this quantitative action research study was: In high school Mathematics is there a correlation between the level of academic engagement and the level of academic achievement? It was hypothesized that if students are held accountable for their learning by being encouraged to be engaged in class activities and to complete all work assigned to them, they would achieve higher marks on unit tests. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a correlation between the level of engagement and the level of achievement. Three types of measures were used to collect data on the level academic engagement in Grade 10 and 11 Mathematics classes. One measure was based on teacher/researcher observations of the participants’ level of participation in class activities. A second measure was assignment completion based on such criteria as neatness, thoroughness and timeliness. Rubrics were created based on educational research to aid in consistency when scoring these measures. The third measure of academic engagement was attendance records. Summative assessments in the form of unit tests and final exams were used as measures of achievement. Measures of central tendency and regression analysis were used to explore the quantitative data collected for levels of student academic engagement and level of achievement. The evidence suggested that for the participants of this study there was a weak, but positive correlation between the level of academic engagement and academic achievement in their high school Mathematics classes.
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    Reading comprehension and attrition in French immersion programs
    (Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 2014) Leclerc, Lisa; Moll, Rachel
    The purpose of this study was to determine whether a relationship existed between low achievement in reading comprehension in elementary French immersion schools, and French immersion attrition by the beginning of grade 9 in School District 79 (Cowichan Valley). The number of elementary French immersion students, from six separate cohorts, who achieved a level of “not yet meeting expectations” on the reading portion of the grade 4 Foundations Skills Assessment, were compared to the number of students from the same cohorts who left the French immersion program by the beginning of grade 6 and 9 using a correlational analysis. Similarly, the number of students from the same six cohorts who achieved a level of “not yet meeting expectations” or “minimally meeting expectations” on grade 6 spring DART assessments, were compared to the number of students from the same six cohorts who left the French immersion program by the beginning of grade 9 using a correlational analysis. The results of this study indicate that there appears to be no relationship between reading comprehension and attrition between grades 4 and 9, or grades 6 and 9. However, the correlational data analysis indicates that there is a strong positive relationship between attrition by grade 6 and reading comprehension levels in grade 4.
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    Embracing student diversity in the classroom: meeting the needs of each learner through differentiation
    (Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 2014) Bogle, Trish L.; Moll, Rachel
    The purpose of the current study was to investigate teacher perceptions of differentiated instruction as a framework and set of strategies to meet increasingly diverse needs in the classroom. Carol Ann Tomlinson’s model of differentiated instruction (2001) was used in the current study as a frame of reference and to provide participants with a general idea of the core of differentiated instruction. Forty-five secondary school teachers were given a survey to complete (Appendix A). The surveys were distributed in October of 2013 and teachers were given three weeks to complete and return the survey. Thirteen of forty-five surveys were completed and returned. The data that was collected indicated that teachers have an understanding of what Tomlinson’s model of differentiated instruction means, but that obstacles such as time, resources, and training prevented differentiation strategies from being adopted and used on a consistent basis.