Teachers' Perceptions of Teach for America Training and Classroom Management in Urban Middle Schools
Date of Conferral
2017
Degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
School
Education
Advisor
Janine Miranda
Abstract
Teach for America (TFA) is an alternative certification program that recruits and trains college graduates and places them in urban public school settings to combat teacher shortage and to decrease achievement disparities between urban and suburban school districts. Teachers prepared by the TFA program have struggled to establish and maintain effective classroom management. The purpose of this case study was to explore TFA teachers' perceptions of the emphasis placed on classroom management during their TFA training and to identify strategies that were taught to assist TFA teachers working in urban middle schools. The conceptual framework for the study was comprised of Bandura's self-efficacy and culturally responsive classroom management. The sample consisted of 10 TFA teachers employed in a public school district for 2 years or less. Data were gathered through teacher interviews. Constant comparative analysis was used to analyze the data, and the TFA documents were used to cross-reference the analysis of the interview data. According to study results, TFA teachers perceived the TFA preparation program to lack training and practical classroom management strategies. To address this need for additional training about culturally responsive teaching and cultural awareness, a 3-month professional development training designed. This project provides a plan to assist TFA teachers with understanding the culture of urban students and being able to implement applicable classroom management strategies. The project could enhance cultural awareness for TFA teachers in the TFA teacher training program and improve the area of classroom management.
Recommended Citation
Platt, Tenechia, "Teachers' Perceptions of Teach for America Training and Classroom Management in Urban Middle Schools" (2017). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 3718.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3718
