Grit, Biography, and Dedicated Teachers Who Struggled Academically as Students

Dedicated teachers who had and overcame academic challenges in their youth offer valuable insights into how to support students who struggle. This article presents a qualitative study of 46 teachers from across the United Stated [sic] who faced academic challenges as elementary, middle, and/or secondary students. Their memories of academic struggles lead them to use teaching practices that are grounded in the professional disposition that all children can learn. The findings suggest a positive interrelationship between a biography (Knowles, 1992) that includes academic struggles, the theoretical constructs of grit (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007) and self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977), and current educational practices and provide implications for theory, teacher education, and induction

The Analysis of an Unsuccessful Novice Teacher’s Induction Experiences: A Case Study Presented Through Layered Account

Although induction support is heralded as an effective way to reduce high attrition among beginning teachers, nationwide increases in induction participation have not been accompanied by a comparable reduction in attrition rates. This inconsistency suggests some induction programs may not provide adequate support. This article presents the results of a case study that explored the experiences of a beginning teacher who left the profession despite participation in an induction program. The research question was: Why was Stella unsuccessful in her second year of teaching? The results are presented through the postmodern ethnographic method of layered account (Ronai, 1997). In addition to raising questions about how to effectively support new teachers, this article includes a discussion of methodological limitations, ethics, subjectivity, and researcher response to participant distress

First-Year Teachers and Induction Support: Ups, Downs, and In-Betweens

Novice teachers often struggle during the transition from being students of teaching to teachers of students. Consequently, high attrition rates characterize the first 3 years of teaching, underscoring a need to provide better support for beginning teachers. This investigation sought to answer the following question: How are 1s t-year teachers supported during induction and how do they respond to this support? Four 1st-year elementary teachers participated in a year-long case-study investigation. Primary form of data collection was monthly semi-structured phone interviews. Participants faced similar challenges, while adjusting to their new profession, but received varied, often inadequate, forms of support during their 1st year. The results suggest that rather than identifying the prevalence of induction support, future research should endeavor to assess program quality and guide educators in the provision of valuable induction for new teachers

Exploring Social Studies Through Multicultural Literature: Legend of the St. Ann’s Flood

The search for literature that is high quality, high interest, written at age-appropriate levels for adolescent readers, addresses social studies topics, and presents multicultural perspectives can be daunting. Legend of the St Ann’s Flood is a novel that meets all of these goals. Its setting in Trinidad and Tobago provides the opportunity for students to learn about a country and region that are frequently overlooked in social studies curriculum in the United States. This article provides historical and cultural background information about Trinidad and Tobago, an overview of the novel, and specific teaching suggestions that integrate reading and writing into social studies instruction

A Technology Supported Induction Network for Rural Student Teachers

Student teaching is a challenging period for preservice teachers as they make the transition from preparation to practice. Support from mentor teachers and university personnel can make this time easier, helping preservice teachers successfully integrate educational theory into their practice. Because of logistical, financial, and personnel limitations, many student teachers with rural placements receive inadequate support. The Technology Supported Induction Network (TSIN) was developed to address these issues by providing support and ongoing professional learning opportunities for preservice teachers through distance technology. A qualitative case study was used to investigate the TSIN’s impact on elementary level student teachers. Results indicate that the TSIN’s two primary components, a discussion board and compressed video sessions, served different supportive roles. Recommendations for future programs utilizing technology as a way to enhance the preparation of student teachers or provide induction for inservice teachers in rural schools are also discussed

Writing to Learn: Benefits and Limitations

Writing to learn (WTL) is the act of making a subject or topic clear to oneself by reasoning through it in writing; it is a pedagogical approach that uses writing to facilitate learning (Zinsser 1988). Some researchers have reported favorable results associated with the approach (Balgopal and Wallace 2009; Bullock 2006; Hand, Hand, Gunel, and Ulu 2009). However, others have indicated that studies supporting WTL pedagogy tend to lack comparison groups, pre/posttest data, or the rich description that contributes to a rigorous qualitative study (Hübner, Nückles, and Renkl 2010; Kieft, Rijlaarsdam, and van den Bergh 2006; Klein 1999). Thus, existing research about WTL suggests that its effectiveness depends on context, leaving a need for further research to better understand the contexts in which WTL has a favorable impact on student achievement. In response to this need, we designed this mixed-method, quasi-experimental study to include pre/posttests and qualitative analysis of WTL journals

Career Changers as First-Year Teachers in Rural Schools

The challenges novice teachers face as they adjust to inservice teaching are well documented. However, relatively little attention has been given to beginning teachers in rural schools who have had previous careers in other professions. We used qualitative methods to examine the professional experiences and perceptions of four career-changing first-year teachers in rural schools, seeking to identify significant issues in their professional developmental processes. Three primary themes emerged: evidence of effectiveness as teachers; mentoring career changers, and; adjustment to rural school and community. We conclude with implications and recommendations for educators working to support this unique population of educators in preservice preparation programs and rural school districts

Social Justice Through Citizenship Education: A Collective Responsibility

Existing research suggests that preservice elementary teachers tend to believe “good” citizens are people who follow laws and help others rather than people who embrace a more active model of citizenship that includes working to improve society. The authors propose that this trend results from a self-perpetuating cycle of passive citizenship that develops in part due to state curriculum standards and school experiences which focus on transmitting knowledge rather than preparing students to be active agents of change. The article presents the results of action research conducted in a teacher preparation course; the research was designed to investigate the impact of a systematic effort to see if preservice teachers’ perspectives could be broadened to include a social justice perspective. As a result of the findings, the authors argue that to counteract the cycle of passive citizenship, education to create a more socially just world must be a collective responsibility shared by teachers at all levels, K-16

Entering a Community of Writers: The Writing Center, Doctoral Students, and Going Public with Scholarly Writing

In addition to taking advanced courses, graduate students navigate a potentially challenging transition of learning to write for publication. We, the authors, explored solutions to this transition with a study designed to explore the research questions: How does a systematic effort to help doctoral students enter a community of writers via writing center collaboration influence doctoral students’: (1) proficiency with academic writing, (2) writing apprehension, (3) self-efficacy as writers, and (4) comfort with “going public” with their writing? We used a collaborative, multi-layered self-study research approach because it allowed us to focus on critical examination of teaching practices that are of interest to the practitioner/researcher and to the greater educational community. Authors/participants include the co-director of a university Writing Center; two professors of a doctoral-level qualitative research methods course; four doctoral students who participated in a series of writing center collaborations; and one master’s student who served as a writing center consultant. These four perspectives provide unique insights into how writing center collaborations supported graduate students in developing their writing proficiency and efficacy, helping to initiate them into a community of writers who “go public” with their scholarship

The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate (FACT-P) Scales in Men with Prostate Cancer: Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version

The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate (FACT-P) questionnaire is a relevant, worldwide tool used for assessing the health-related quality of life in men with prostate cancer. The purpose of this study was to translate the FACT-P into Korean, to assess its reliability and validity, and to test its discriminative ability between the cancer patients and normal controls. The Korean version was developed via the FACT multilingual translation project. The translated questionnaire was self-administered to 70 prostate cancer patients and 70 age-matched controls. In evaluating its psychometric properties for cancer patients, internal consistency and test-retest reliability were used. Validity was estimated by using inter-subscale correlations and discriminant validity between cancer patients and controls. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the individual subscales were 0.7 or greater (range 0.73 to 0.89), except for emotional well-being (0.61). The test-retest reliability showed high correlations (intraclass coefficients ranged from 0.72 to 0.93). Inter-subscale correlations demonstrated each subscale was unrelated, but moderate correlation was observed between social/family well-being and functional well-being subscales (r=0.56). The FACT-P scale could discriminate reliably between the cancer patients and controls in most subscales. In conclusion, the Korean version of the FACT-P is a reliable and valid questionnaire in patients with prostate cancer