Dissertations from the School of Arts and Sciences
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- An Examination of Elementary Teachers' Efficacy Beliefs and Their Perceptions and Use of Technology for Reading Instruction
- Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Education. The Catholic University of America, Reading is a consistent predictor of academic success (National Reading Panel, 2006). One avenue to improve students' reading achievement is with technology (Cheung and Slavin, 2012). Despite the possible benefits for integrating technology in reading classrooms, teachers do not use available technology (Bauer and Kenton, 2005; Levin and Wadmany, 2008). This study examined how Catholic elementary teachers' perceptions, and their self-efficacy, relate to their use of technology for teaching reading. Further, the research identified the factors that foster or inhibit the integration of technology. An electronic survey was administered and 115 teachers from a Catholic diocese in a mid-Atlantic suburb responded anonymously. The survey employed an adapted measure (Holden and Rada, 2011) derived from the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989). The sample consisted of predominantly mature, female teachers with about half having 10 or more years of teaching experience. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment tests and a correlation matrix, multiple regression analysis, ANOVA, and an independent-samples t-test. The survey's 5 subscales were highly reliable with strong Cronbach's alphas: perceptions (.95), attitudes toward using technology (.96), self-efficacy beliefs (.96), use (.90), and barriers to and facilitators for integration (.89). Teachers report access to technology, but express needs for specialized training and for additional equipment. Use was at the Tier 1 level, where teachers use technology for preparing to teach, rather than for actively engaging students with technology. There was a moderate positive relationship between teachers' sense of self-efficacy and use, r = .392, p < .01. The strongest correlation, though still moderate, was between teachers' perceptions and use, r = .49, p < .01. Teachers viewed beliefs about teaching (M = 5.52, SD = 1.48) and beliefs about technology (M = 5.33, SD = 1.59) positively, making them facilitators. Time for planning was viewed negatively (M = 4.12, SD = 1.93), making it a barrier to integration. Perceived usefulness elucidates why teachers use technology in teaching reading. By examining users' characteristics this study addressed the gap noted by Holden and Rada (2011). The current research also highlighted the significance of teacher-level factors such as teachers' perceptions about technology for their integration of technology in reading instruction.
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- Transformational Leadership Study of Catholic Inner-City Schools in the United States
- Degree Awarded: Ph.D. Education. The Catholic University of America, This study explored transformational leadership and cultural characteristics in Catholic inner-city elementary schools as well as the relationship between transformational leadership and cultural characteristics in predicting school vitality in these same schools. Transformational leadership was conceptualized by Burns (1978) and developed by Bass and Avolio (2000) to identify leaders capable of change in organizational culture and processes by effectively communicating a vision, building consensus, fostering creativity, engaging in problem solving and risk taking, in addition, to motivating followers to do more than they originally intended and often even more than they thought possible (Bass and Riggio, 2008). Cultural characteristics was conceptualized through conciliar (Abbot, 1996) and USSCB (Brothers and Sisters to Us, 1979) documents detailing essential elements of Catholic schools, as well as, preferential treatment of the poor (Bryk, Lee, and Holland, 1993; USCCB, 2005) rigorous academic program (Ciriello, 1998), communal nature of schools (Coleman and Hoffer, 1987), and opportunities outside the classroom for prayer and service (NCEA, 2012; USCCB, 1973). School vitality was operationalized as the ability of a school to develop as an effective institution of learning in the realization of its educational mission and to sustain adaptive challenges (Hobbie, 2009; Fullan, 2005; Purkey and Smith, 1983). This study identified those key components as mission results, culture of academic excellence and rigor, climate of collaboration and shared values, and an atmosphere of community buy-in and evidence of parental involvement. Data for this national study came from anonymous surveys responded to by 158 Catholic elementary school principals from each of the twelve elementary regions of the National Catholic Educational Association. Data were analyzed across schools through descriptive statistics, T-tests, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. There are two major findings of this dissertation research. The first is that principals of inner-city Catholic elementary schools practice strong transformational leadership skills. The second overall finding is that cultural characteristics of Catholic schools came forth as the most important predictors of vitality of inner-city Catholic schools. In particular, these results repeatedly revealed that a school's commitment to their Catholic mission, the development of a positive learning environment, and the school's commitment to academic excellence and rigor were the strongest predictors of vitality. Essentially, the qualities that make Catholic schools Catholic were the most influential factors in determining school vitality as measured by the culture of excellence and rigor, climate of collaboration and shared values, and mission results. This study's information enables diocesan leaders and principals to evaluate the vitality of Catholic inner-city elementary schools in a manner which offers an alternative to financial and enrollment factors which typically dominate sustainability and viability assessments. While more research needs to be done in examining all the facets of viability of Catholic schools, all those involved in Catholic inner-city education can take stock in the most important findings of this study.