Date of Award

Fall 12-13-2016

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership (Ed.D)

Department

Educational Leadership

Committee Chair

Dr. Anissa Lokey-Vega

First Committee Member

Dr. Iván M. Jorrín-Abellán

Second Committee Member

Dr. Corrie Davis

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the beliefs and perceptions of professional educators about online teaching endorsement practices in the state of Georgia. The participants in this study included three University System of Georgia teacher educators, one Georgia K-12 virtual school administrator, and two Georgia K-12 virtual school educators. The data collected came from six one-on-one semi-structured interviews, the researcher’s personal narrative, and the analysis of Online Teaching Endorsement Program standards (505-3-.95) as set forth by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. Using a constructivist lens, data from all three sources was coded thematically and then analyzed using inductive and deductive approaches to constant comparison analysis. Analysis results showed that perceived issues and concerns held by teacher educators, K-12 virtual school administrators, and K-12 virtual educators in the state of Georgia about current K-12 (Online Teaching Endorsement) OTE preparation practices reflect real problems and challenges related to a lack of customization in virtual educator training, K-12 educator perceptions and misconceptions about online instruction and technology knowledge, and imperfections in the K-12 virtual setting. Findings showed that these problems and challenges can and do impacting a K-12 virtual educator’s success in the virtual classroom.

Comments

The following publication was derived from portions of this dissertation:

Pourreau, L., & Lokey-Vega, A. (2018). K-12 virtual educator preparation: Insights and inquiry. In D. Polly, M. Putnam, T. M. Petty, & A. J. Good (Eds.), Innovative Practices in Teacher Preparation and Graduate-Level Teacher Education Programs (pp. 557-578). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

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