Date of Award
Summer 7-29-2020
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Dr. Shelly Fransen
Second Advisor
Dr. Kathy Grover
Third Advisor
Dr. Sherry DeVore
Abstract
Proponents of the effective use of blended learning argue that without technologyenhanced instruction, students graduate from high school missing the digital skills they need to be successful competitors in the labor market (Dickinson, 2018). Yet, authors of supporting work have established technology-enhanced instruction can have a negative effect on student achievement (Newman & Dickinson, 2017). Examined in this qualitative study was the preparedness of novice teachers to provide effective instruction in a blended learning environment, as researchers have found teacher self-efficacy is the number one predictor of instructional quality (Belanger, 2018; Conant, 2016; Künsting, Neuber, & Lipowsky, 2016). Self-efficacy is, therefore, a possible factor affecting student achievement in blended learning environments. Three teacher education professors, three secondary principals, and nine novice teachers, as members of focus groups, were interviewed to explore the perceived preparedness of the novice teachers from three different perspectives. Several factors affecting the self-efficacy of the novice teachers were identified after the data were examined. Pre-service training is inconsistent at both the collegiate and secondary school levels. The amount of hands-on instruction at the collegiate level, the time dedicated to new-teacher induction and support at the district level, and the training approach during induction were all found to influence the level of self-efficacy in novice teachers in a blended learning environment. Conclusions reached in this study may assist administrators at both the collegiate and secondary school levels to make improvements in the preparation and training of new teachers for work in blended learning environments.
Recommended Citation
LaFave, Rachelle R., "A Qualitative Study of the Preparedness of Novice Teachers to Teach Effectively in a Blended Learning Environment" (2020). Dissertations. 54.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/dissertations/54
Rights
Copyright 2020