Date of Award

12-2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership

Department

Educational Leadership and Curriculum

First Reader/Committee Chair

Piller, Bonnie

Abstract

This descriptive study examines principal and teacher perceptions of the shared ideas and agreements that change teachers’ instructional practice. This study was conducted during the school year 2013-2014, drawing on teacher and principal sample representatives selected from 10 high schools, middle schools and elementary schools in one Southern California public school district. The study utilizes qualitative and quantitative methodologies to create survey questionnaires and semi-structured phone interviews to examine the research questions focused on teacher and principal perceptions which were coded and analyzed. The primary data collection was based on the tallies, statistical analysis of the respondents’ survey questionnaire responses, and text analysis of the comments stemming from the phone interviews conducted with teachers and principals. The eight themes arising from the research comprised of social constructs or meanings, expectations, experiences, nature of professional conversations, values, relationships, relevance, and change. The examination of the research results lead to discussion of the similarities and differences in teacher and administrator perceptions of factors believed to build school environments conducive to professional conversations, supportive environments for teachers and creating a culture focused on teachers as learners.

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