Critical Consciousness of Bahamian High School Students

This mixed methods explanatory study examined the level of critical consciousness of high school students in The Bahamas and the contribution of school to its development. Developing critical consciousness in students makes education relevant to their lives and equips them with the skills needed to think critically about social conditions. The Critical Consciousness Scale was completed by 10th grade students (N=202) at four public high schools. Results indicate a lack of awareness of inequality in Bahamian society. Though students strongly support equal treatment of groups in society, few had participated in any related activity. Interviews with high scoring students yielded five themes related to the role of school in developing critical consciousness: the importance of discussion and dialogue, the need for guidance and mentoring, the role of clubs, community service, and the influence of class activities and peer interaction

The relationship between admission criteria and pre-service teacher preparedness for a small rural educator preparation provider

Pre-service teacher preparedness is a measurement of a teacher candidate’s ability to become an effective teacher (Clark, Byrnes, & Sudweeks, 2015). A growing number of Educator Preparation Providers’ (EPPs’) accrediting agencies are insisting that to improve pre-service teacher preparedness, EPPs must increase the rigor of their admission criteria. However, the research is inconclusive regarding whether a relationship exists between admission criteria and pre-service teacher preparedness. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the Educator Preparation Provider’s (EPP’s) current teacher education program admission criteria and pre-service teacher preparedness measurements to determine if the EPP should increase its admission criteria. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between the three independent variables of admission criteria and the dependent variable of teacher preparedness. Results indicate no significant relationship between admission criteria and teacher preparedness. Findings were used to create a recommendation regarding the EPP’s admission criteria to the teacher education program

Using avatars to address teacher self-efficacy

Technology-enhanced learning continues to provide opportunities for increased interventions in educational programing. For teacher education programs, novelty pales in comparison to providing meaningful instruction and enduring outcomes. The use of avatars has provided integration of research evidence that increases intended behaviors; however, research is lacking on teacher self-efficacy change via an avatar experience. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between teacher self-efficacy and avatar use in a teacher education program. A relational study using both parametric and non-parametric designs for four different samples indicated a significant relationship between avatar intervention and teacher self-efficacy in classroom management, instructional strategies, and student engagement. The sample from a student teaching course, which had a limited number of participants, provided mixed results. More studies need to include experimental designs and isolation of variabilities in the avatar model

Inclusive Practices and the Achievement Gap between Students with and without an Individualized Education Plan

Philosophy, ethics, legal mandates, educational theory, classroom application, and research has neither concluded nor reached scholarly saturation on the successful implementation of inclusion. This study examines inclusive practices for students with special needs by focusing on one innovative approach to narrowing the achievement gap between students on an Individual Education Plans (IEP) and students not on IEP. The innovative approach examined combined three research-based practices to create one school-wide pedagogy. The public middle school in this study integrated three educational approaches known as “Tribes,” “Integrated Thematic Instruction (ITI)”, and “MicroSocieties”. An 11-year study revealed statistically significant relationship between the innovative approach and the achievement gap between students on IEPs and students not on IEPs. Descriptive statistics and parametric testing, a linear regression, were used to make inferences in the relationship. Implications of the study continue to support existing research on individual inclusive practices, but more importantly the innovative integration of inclusive practices