A Mixed Methods Study of Collaborating Teacher Leadership in Professional Development Schools (Pdss)

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A Mixed Methods Study of Collaborating Teacher Leadership in Professional Development Schools (Pdss) Rowan University Rowan Digital Works Theses and Dissertations 1-17-2017 A mixed methods study of collaborating teacher leadership in Professional Development Schools (PDSs) Nedd James Johnson Rowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd Part of the Educational Leadership Commons Recommended Citation Johnson, Nedd James, "A mixed methods study of collaborating teacher leadership in Professional Development Schools (PDSs)" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 2345. https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/2345 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Rowan Digital Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Rowan Digital Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A MIXED METHODS STUDY OF COLLABORATING TEACHER LEADERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS (PDSs) by Nedd J. Johnson A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Educational Services and Leadership College of Education In partial fulfillment of the requirement For the degree of Doctor of Education at Rowan University December 2, 2016 Dissertation Chair: Peter Rattigan, Ph.D. © 2016 Nedd J. Johnson Dedications Thanks and appreciation must first be given to God, for without Him nothing that we attempt in our personal and professional lives would be possible. This dissertation is dedicated to my family. Thank you to my mother and father, Queen and Neely Johnson Sr. for instilling the values of education and hard work into me at a very early age. A very special thank you is due to my father, Neely Johnson Sr. (June 19, 1932-April 22, 2016), who passed away during the final stages of this journey. I know that he is looking down from heaven with a big smile of encouragement to finish this race, as he did for me throughout all of my educational endeavors. Dad, this is in memorial tribute to you. Thank you to my children, Nedd (Jay) Jr. and Crystal Denise for being my driving force as I started this journey to serve as an example and role model that education and learning are lifelong endeavors. Please know that you can do anything in life that you put your mind and energy towards. A special thank you to my wife Mary for all that you have done to keep things going while I was missing in action as I completed this educational dream. You have been tremendous throughout this entire process and I appreciate your love, faith and belief in me, even when I sometimes had doubts along the way. Thank you to my extended family and friends who understood my desire to complete this difficult work and gave me the space and support that I needed to navigate forward. Thank you all, and the next stage of my life now begins! Acknowledgments I would like to thank Dr. Peter Rattigan, my chairperson for all of the guidance, support, and mentoring that he provided to me throughout this learning process. I would also like to thank my committee members Dr. Shawna Bushell and Dr. Gloria Jean Hill. Your support, feedback, Professional Development School expertise, and critical feedback allowed me to create a superior product. Thank you for giving of your time and knowledge. I would like to thank the participants who took the time to share their PDS expertise and stories through their participation in the completion of this study. I appreciate your leadership and contributions to the students within our school district. I would also like to thank my doctoral cohort and peers who have navigated through this journey along with me. We made it to the finish line despite the many ups and downs that we encountered over the course of the past four years. Thank you for being a support and safety system where I could turn to for honest and authentic feedback whenever I became stuck. We will all need to stay in touch and continue to support each other in our various professional and administrative travels. iv Abstract Nedd J. Johnson A MIXED METHODS STUDY OF COLLABORATING TEACHER LEADERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS (PDSs) 2016-2017 Peter Rattigan, Ph.D. Doctor of Education Professional Development Schools (PDSs) provide teachers with multiple new opportunities for leadership. As teachers are encouraged to assume new roles outside of the classroom and beyond the school, it is important to examine the concept of teacher leadership in practice--specifically, how it is perceived by those most closely associated with it. This study identifies a shared understanding of teacher leadership from collaborating teachers, using a sequential explanatory mixed methods design in PDSs within a large, diverse southern New Jersey school district-university partnership. The two-phase study examines perceptions about teacher leaders through data collected from the Teacher Leadership Inventory (TLI) (Angelle & DeHart, 2010) (Appendix B), and individual in-depth interviews (Appendix C) with selected experienced PDS teachers. Overall, the study participants report that there are specific links between their professional and leadership growth as a result of their participation in the school and university PDS partnership. Although several themes emerge from the findings, the teachers suggest that the reciprocal nature of the clinical practice internship component and the reciprocal professional and leadership growth for both the collaborating teachers and teacher candidates are primary factors for increasing leadership capacity. These findings provide added evidence and support for the PDS model to serve as the preferred standard model for teacher education preparation programs. v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................v List of Figures ..................................................................................................................xi List of Tables ...................................................................................................................xii Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................1 Context .......................................................................................................................1 Professional Development Schools: Reforming Teacher Preparation .......................3 Professional Development Schools: A Leadership Framework ................................5 Purpose Statement ......................................................................................................7 Problem Statement .....................................................................................................10 Research Questions ....................................................................................................11 Significance of the Study ...........................................................................................11 Definition of Key Terms ............................................................................................12 Limitations .................................................................................................................15 Summary and Organization of the Study ...................................................................16 Chapter 2: Literature Review ...........................................................................................17 Professional Development Schools: A Leadership Framework ................................17 Collaborating Teachers ..............................................................................................22 Professional Development Schools (PDSs) ...............................................................23 PDSs: Collaborating Teacher Leadership and Learning ............................................25 Measuring Teacher Leadership ..................................................................................29 Summary ....................................................................................................................33 vi Table of Contents (Continued) Chapter 3: Methodology ..................................................................................................34 Purpose Statement ......................................................................................................34 Research Questions ....................................................................................................36 Research Design and Strategies of Inquiry ................................................................36 Mixed Methods Design Rationale .............................................................................39 Mixed Methods Appropriateness ...............................................................................40 Research Design Decisions ........................................................................................41 Settings .......................................................................................................................41 Participants .................................................................................................................42 Positional Context ......................................................................................................43 Data Collection ..........................................................................................................44 Survey ..................................................................................................................44 Interviews .............................................................................................................47
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