Research Round I (9:25 - 10:25)

This phenomenological study examines the influence of power on racial identity and social awareness for minority high schools in Bullitt County. This study will address the following research questions: How does attending high school with students predominantly from another racial background affect the development of a sense of self within a minority student?

The Appalachian region of the United States, particularly central Appalachia, has long been faced by the financial aftermath of a single-export extraction economy. As a result, Appalachian students may face unique challenges when considering whether to attend college and when transitioning from high school to college. For example, students in rural areas are less likely to be identified as “gifted” and may have less access to advanced curricular opportunities. College Preparatory Programs (CPPs) allow high schoolers to take college-level classes that have the potential to ease the transition between high school and college. We surveyed high schoolers (N = 124) in a CPP outside of Appalachia, of whom 13 self-identified as Appalachian. All students responded to questions about their sense of belonging in their school, experiences with impostor feelings, and academic self-efficacy. Appalachian participants were asked about their Appalachian identity and their experiences with stigma concerning this identity. Preliminary results indicate that Appalachians had lower academic self-efficacy, a higher sense of belonging, and more impostor feelings than did non-Appalachians. Given the small sample size, no statistically significant differences emerged between Appalachians and non-Appalachians along these variables of interest, although there were differences among Appalachians by way of centrality and salience of Appalachian identity. We hope our findings will help educators and researchers in better understanding and supporting this understudied population.

Researching ways in which COVID-19 has impacted educational practitioners, leading to stress and burnout, is of the utmost importance. Investigating what intrinsically motivates the educators that are able to overcome and thrive in the face of adversity is essential to assist educators who may be struggling with social emotional issues. This is an issue that is valid and needs to be addressed to not only help other educators overcome adversity and trauma that creates stress and burnout but also to provide support for those that are continuously growing in the face of trauma and adversity. By supporting educators, students will also benefit from this qualitative research. Research Questions: What are contributing factors of stress and burnout among educators during and post COVID-19? How have teachers built resiliency during the pandemic? What can be put in place so the educators can be supported in posttraumatic or adversarial growth? This study implores a qualitative research design. Qualitative research is appropriate because it helps to research how people experience aspects of their lives, how individuals or groups behave, how organizations function, and how interactions shape relationships (Teherani et al., 2016). Phenomenology will be the primary method for data collection, specifically participant interviews. When researching the human experience, such as with stress and burnout, this approach is very much applicable (Wimpenny & Gass, 2000). The interpretive phenomenological analysis methodology will allow the researcher to deeper examine the lived experiences of the participants in the study. Resilience theory and job-demands theory will inform the research.

The purpose of this study is to determine the perspectives of general education and special education teachers when implementing a full co-teaching model in an urban elementary school. This study will focus on grades kindergarten through five. Special education and general education teachers have been paired together as co-teachers for the full school day as co-teachers. Supplementary resource time is offered for both math and reading. The co-teachers have been provided with a beginning of the year professional development on the co-teaching models, opportunities for team building, ongoing participation in a co-teaching cadre, and post co-teaching end of year quantitative survey. Following the end of year survey, co-teachers will be interviewed regarding their perceptions of co-teaching. The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) outlines provisions that children with disabilities should be educated in the least restrictive environment with their nondisabled peers to the maximum extent possible (IDEA, 2004). This study will further research the influence that professional development has on teacher perceptions of co-teaching. Co-teaching pairs have been provided with professional development prior to implementing the co-teaching models, during implementation, and post implementation at the end of the school year. Teacher perceptions will be collected through beginning and of the year interviews as well as through quantitative surveys. Data will be coded to identify themes in teacher perceptions in both general education teachers and special education teachers. References Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Public Law 108-446, 108th Congress. (2004)