Date of Award

2021

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Joshua Tipton

Second Advisor

Jessica Taylor

Third Advisor

Cherie Gaines

Abstract

In this qualitative study, I address novice, alternatively licensed Career Technical Education (CTE) teachers’ perceptions of professional development support in a southeastern school district in the state of Tennessee. The lack of tailored professional development opportunities created issues for CTE teachers because of the complexity of their teaching responsibilities. Research on effective methods of professional development for beginning CTE teachers existed; however, there were few research studies on program implementations and their effectiveness. To gather data, I used a Google survey to establish an initial, two-tiered criterion for participation, and participants who met the criteria participated in one-on-one interviews. Specifically, participants who had novice teaching experience, between one to five years of teaching experience in CTE, and held alternative certification in various subject areas within the context of CTE as defined by the Tennessee State Department of Education met the interview criteria. I identified themes utilizing the data analysis from the survey and interviews which included understanding professional responsibilities, instructional needs, educational jargon, dissatisfaction at the school level, and improved induction. Findings from this study will be useful in evaluating professional development opportunities offered to novice, alternatively licensed CTE teachers and improving the quality of instruction in the CTE classroom.

Keywords

Alternative certification, Career and Technical Education, Novices, Professional development, Teachers

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