What do teachers value? : a study examining elementary teachers’ perceptions, beliefs, and curricular practices in shaping student values
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Mary Elizabeth Meyer (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Leila Villaverde
Abstract: Teachers today feel pressure to maximize student engagement and learning. With an increased focus on student scores on end-of-grade test measures and their association with school performance grades, educators are forced to consider how to yield results. Limiting the disruptions and distractions throughout the school day shifts the focus to student behavior. In order to elicit desirable behaviors from students, schools, and teachers prioritize values to cultivate in students. The rationale for this study came from my desire to gain a deeper understanding of what teachers conceptualize their role to be in developing the values of their students. Therefore, this basic qualitative study explored: (a) what values elementary public school teachers think they should teach students in a diverse society, both explicitly and implicitly; (b) how teachers feel they teach their students these values (explicitly and implicitly) and what power do they have to do so; and (c) how teachers navigate the differences between the values they think should be taught and what they are expected to teach. This critical qualitative study explores the values that elementary (K-5) school teachers feel are important to teach students. Nine teachers from various locations across the state of North Carolina were represented in this study. Using an online platform, participants engaged in two rounds of individual interviews and submitted 3-5 classroom photographs from the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school year as well as 4 weeks of lesson plans reflecting their classroom instruction. The methodological approach for this basic qualitative study was through an interpretivist, constructivist paradigm, while Critical Theory served as the theoretical framework by which the data and findings were analyzed. The significance of the findings from this study have potential to contribute to ongoing discourse about what teachers conceptualize their role to be in teaching values and the ways they design instructional opportunities to do so. Additionally, this study highlights the need for administrators and policymakers to work to disrupt systems and policies related to censorship of teachers as they navigate providing students with inclusive learning experiences that reflect all members of society. Keywords: curricular practices, elementary education, teachers, values
What do teachers value? : a study examining elementary teachers’ perceptions, beliefs, and curricular practices in shaping student values
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Created on 8/1/2024
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2024
- Keywords
- Curricular practices, Elementary education, Teachers, Values
- Subjects
- Elementary school teachers $z North Carolina $x Attitudes
- Values $x Study and teaching $z North Carolina
- Curriculum planning $z North Carolina