Administrators’ Sense of Self Efficacy in the Supervision of English a Second Language Teachers
Audrey F. Murphy, The School of Education, Department of Human Services and Counseling
English language learners are the fastest-growing segment of schoolchildren, and increasing numbers of ESL teachers are being employed to teach them. But there is reason to suspect that many building leaders lack training in ESL and feel ill-equipped to supervise these teachers. A survey was designed and implemented to assess principals sense of self-efficacy in supervision of ESL teachers. The six-item survey produced favorable psychometric characteristics. Regression modeling revealed that administrators with a high number of ESL teachers reported a lower sense of self-efficacy. Having more ESL teachers to evaluate may have prompted supervisors to observe that they lack skills for evaluating ESL teachers. A possible solution might be to emphasize these skills to a far greater degree in administrator-preparation programs.
Student Perceptions of the Relationship between Asynchronous and Synchronous Web-Based Instructional Tools and Perceived Attainment of Intended Learning Outcomes
Melissa Parenti, The School of Education, Department of Human Services and Counseling
With the advent of and continual adaptations related to Online Learning, there is a recognized need for up to date research in the area of effectiveness of online education programs. More specifically, assessing the capacity to attain academic goals by use of learning management systems (LMS) that power Online Learning platforms requires further evaluation. Therefore, this mixed methods study included 33 student participants and aimed to address the LMS associated with an online Master of Arts in Teaching graduate program. Research within this study was designed to assess student perceptions of the abilities of the various asynchronous and synchronous web-based tools found within the LMS to assist in the perceived attainment of academic outcomes. Descriptive statistics revealed student preference for the live synchronous Class Time sessions, live synchronous Chat Pod messaging, and asynchronous ongoing email communication. These findings support the research detailing the benefits of immediacy of feedback in the online teaching and learning setting.