Quantitative methods emphasize objective measurements and the statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected through polls, questionnaires, and surveys, or by manipulating pre-existing statistical data using computational techniques (McLeod, 2008). This data is very important in making sure organizations, Universities, and every professional work place can ensure there is a way to track change, either good or bad. Quantitative methods can be used in many different ways but collecting the data is the most important part of the equation. Using the University of Texas at San Antonio as an example of excellence researches showed how minority teachers could in fact be successful. One of the ideas in the article was that minority teachers would struggle to fit in outside of the …show more content…
SAC reports that of 390 ATE-TALC teacher candidates, only five students have dropped or have changed majors. To date 120 ATE-TALC teacher candidates have transferred to the university; of these nearly 90% are Latino. At UTSA, the ATE-TALC retention rate is also high with few students dropping out of the project (Teacher Education Quarterly. 24.4 (Fall 2007). As a result of the last three years this program sets the standard for others to emulate. If these results can be copied across the country the talent pool of administrators could easily be doubled or even tripled with minority students reaping the benefits. In difficult areas such as Chicago and Detroit, minority students drop out at an alarming rate therefore strong minded, well trained minority teachers may be one of the only solutions left to save them. It is important that society recognizes the need and true value of all teachers but minority candidates need further assistance in navigating the system on their way to becoming future teachers of
While differentiating instruction and being able to design lessons geared towards the needs of diverse learners are currently highly prized skills for teachers, this has not always been the case. The history of education in the United States is a history of segregation. Even today, schools and curriculum are designed to meet the needs of a core group of students, which does not include students with disabilities (Hitchcock, Meyer, Rose, & Jackson, 2002). In the past, learners who were different, out of the mainstream, or did not fit into the mold to which teachers taught (were not part of the core) learned how or lost out on learning. This is not to say that teachers of the past did not care about their students, about being effective teachers, or about student learning. However, as schools are mirrors reflecting mainstream societal norms (Chartock, 2010; Delpit, 2006)—and, given that our society has not always valued diversity in people, be it due to disability, class, culture, or race—teachers in the past have largely focused their efforts where they could earn the largest return on their investment: the average student .
Data proves that America does not have enough African American males teaching in today’s schools. As a matter of fact, only 2% of America’s nearly five million teachers are black men (Bryan 1). In our American society, more and more African American females are fiercely taking over both public and private classrooms. Although this might be a great accomplishment, school officials believes that if more black males teach, it would reduce the numbers of minority achievement gaps and dropout rates. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 44% of students nationwide are minorities, but nearly 90% of teachers are white. Polls and surveys further read that if there were more African American male teachers, the dropout rate would decrease while the graduation rate increases. In urban societies most African American teens would be more likely to succeed if there were more black males instructing secondary classrooms.
In the years of 1970-1971, a study was made of the representation of minorities on the faculty of the Jackson public schools. A comparison was made of the percentage of minority teachers to the percentage of minority students in the district. Nearly 16% of the student body was made up of minorities, whereas minorities represented only 8.3-8.5% of the faculty. The collective bargaining agreement in effect at that time, mandated that straight seniority would govern (last hired, first fired) in the event of layoffs.
After attending UCLA and the University of Nairobi in Kenya, Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) South Lake Middle School Principal Bruce Baron received his Bachelor’s degree from UCI. Mr. Baron began his career in the seventies with the National Teacher Corps program, and subsequently taught at the elementary, middle, and high school level, and has been a principal at the elementary and middle school level of public institutions. His career focus has been primarily in improving the quality of schools in low-socioeconomic status (SES) neighborhoods, with a focus on improving learning and teaching, creating an information-rich environment at schools, the implementation of a learning community, continuous professional development of teachers, the encouraged involvement of parents, and seeking increased funding and resources. Aside from working at the school site level, he has been actively engaged in multicultural education and acting as a consultant to address and ameliorate inter-ethnic tensions that exist at secondary schools. His work has been recognized by the Orange County Human Relations Commission. He currently also teaches social science and history to UCI Department of Education graduate students. It is because of his extensive background and outstanding ...
This is due to fewer instructional resources and less qualified teachers (Kim & Sunderman, 2004). Are these types of initiatives the key? Some ascertain that teacher quality and school resources are the key to combatting the ills of poverty and its effect on minority education. Teacher Training It is necessary that teachers are adequately trained and equipped to mentor and support underrepresented minorities from low-income neighborhoods. Requiring teacher preparation programs to provide overviews of poverty and how to work with the underrepresented student population as a prerequisite to graduating.
The. Landsman, Julie G., and Chance W. Lewis. White Teachers / Diverse Classrooms: Creating Inclusive Schools, Building on Students' Diversity, and Providing True Educational Equity. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, 2011. Print. The.
Quantitative methods in the social sciences are an effective tool for understanding patterns and variation in social data. They are the systematic, numeric collection and objective analysis of data that can be generalized to a larger population and seek to find cause in variance (Matthews and Ross 2010, p.141; Henn et al. 2009, p.134). These methods are often debated, but quantitative measurement is important to the social sciences because of the numeric evidence that can be used to drive more in depth qualitative research and to focus regional policy, to name a few (Johnston et al. 2014). Basic quantitative methods, such as descriptive and inferential statistics, are used regularly to identify and explain large social trends that can then
The father of quantitative analysis, Rene Descartes, thought that in order to know and understand something, you have to measure it (Kover, 2008). Quantitative research has two main types of sampling used, probabilistic and purposive. Probabilistic sampling is when there is equal chance of anyone within the studied population to be included. Purposive sampling is used when some benchmarks are used to replace the discrepancy among errors. The primary collection of data is from tests or standardized questionnaires, structured interviews, and closed-ended observational protocols. The secondary means for data collection includes official documents. In this study, the data is analyzed to test one or more expressed hypotheses. Descriptive and inferential analyses are the two types of data analysis used and advance from descriptive to inferential. The next step in the process is data interpretation, and the goal is to give meaning to the results in regards to the hypothesis the theory was derived from. Data interpretation techniques used are generalization, theory-driven, and interpretation of theory (Gelo, Braakmann, Benetka, 2008). The discussion should bring together findings and put them into context of the framework, guiding the study (Black, Gray, Airasain, Hector, Hopkins, Nenty, Ouyang, n.d.). The discussion should include an interpretation of the results; descriptions of themes, trends, and relationships; meanings of the results, and the limitations of the study. In the conclusion, one wants to end the study by providing a synopsis and final comments. It should include a summary of findings, recommendations, and future research (Black, Gray, Airasain, Hector, Hopkins, Nenty, Ouyang, n.d.). Deductive reasoning is used in studies...
There are many challenges that teachers encounter when teaching children with learning disabilities, learners that are English language learners, or learners who are culturally and linguistically diverse. As a nation we are faced with the challenged that our schools are becoming more diverse. The majority of our schoolteachers are still predominately white females, but our student population is slowly changing. We are seeing more minority groups in our schools that are facing different challenges. The scary part of it all is that our teachers do not have the skills to accommodate those differences. “The nation’s changing school demographics are creating a demand for new teaching skills” (Utley, Obiakor, & Bakken 2011, pg. 5). Our student population
A significant problem of practice in education is teacher bias. Teacher bias has implications around race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and socioeconomic status. Teachers must be willing to examine their beliefs, acknowledge and overcome their biases. Teachers need to evaluate their practices in relation to their ideals as well as recognize and assess the position of power they hold in their classrooms in order to be true Social Justice Educators (Cooper, 2003).
This essay is going to critically discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using surveys and questionnaires as a method of Socio-Legal research. When conducting socio-legal research, a number of methods can be used to collect useful information.
Qualitative and Quantitative study designs both can be beneficial in research design. They both provide valuable options for researchers in the field. These techniques can either be used separately in a research study or they can be combined to achieve maximum information. This paper will define the terms qualitative and quantitative; describe the similarities and differences between each; discuss how qualitative and/or quantitative research designs or techniques could be used in the evaluation of my proposed research; and discuss why linking analysis to study design is important.
Qualitative and quantitative research methods take different approaches to gathering and analysing information. Whether it is a qualitative or quantitative study, the research study begins with a question or series of questions. Both use rigorously designed studies to get the most accurate, detailed and complete results. Qualitative studies common methods are interviews, surveys and observation. A qualitative study aims to provide a detailed description of the study results, often using pictures and written descriptions to describe what the research revealed. A qualitative study looks at the big picture, helping researchers to narrow in on points of interest that then can be followed up on in a quantitative study. While a quantitative study has a narrower focus, it attempts to provide a detailed explanation of the study focus, along with this using numbers and statistics. And the results from a quantitative study can reveal bigger questions that call for qualitative study. Or vice versa a qualitative study may reveal at analysis that a more focus and direct approach may be needed. With both methods analysis is a key part of any study whether qualitative or quantitative.
President George Bush’s “No Child Left Behind Act” fails to focus on the recruitment and diversity within the profession. He sets a goal for the year 2005 for every classroom to have a quality teacher but no goal for retaining these teachers. The improvement of the profession requires a national step-by-step effort. The purpose of this paper was to gather and explore information on the teaching profession and with it explore the shortage within in order to educate and strike up reform. It is clear, that reform will require a lot of time and money. The end product however, will show success within the profession thereby equaling success in the classroom. Success comes when present in the classrooms are caring and committed teachers, all with the goal of education and diversity is among them. .
Qualitative and quantitative researcher’s exhibited conflicting ways of approaching a research. Some researchers prefer qualitative over quantitative and vice-versa. Also, it is common for qualitative and quantitative to be used together in a research. But, both methods when carried out correctly provide good research. Plus, both methods have their own unique differences and characteristics. In this paper I will define three of these characteristics in a quantitative and qualitative research design and discuss and compare their differences. (Smith & Davis, 2010)