Doctoral Dissertation Research: Understanding Teacher and Student Adaptations to New Educational Policies

This doctoral dissertation research project investigates how new educational initiatives introduced to reduce academic burdens impact teachers and the role that teachers play in successful implementation of educational policies. The investigators specifically examine what decisions and adaptations drive educational change and balance robust professional outcomes for teachers and strong learning outcomes for students. By examining teacher decision-making and adaptations as significant to student outcomes the researchers provide a novel way of approaching the science of educational policy. The project trains a graduate student in scientific data collection and analysis and yields systematic findings that could influence educational policies and provide pathways for enhanced collaborations between teachers and educational administrators. Research findings will be shared through scientific publications and with educational policymakers to help develop policies that enhance workplace conditions and decision-making of teachers and that also enhance student performance. In order to understand the intersections between teachers' adaptations to new educational policies and student outcomes the investigators use both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Data collection methods include participant observation, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and surveys, with analysis involving thematic coding using NVivo14, statistical evaluation of survey responses, and cross-validation with official documents. This study contributes to the anthropology of education, and to the science of organizational and policy implementation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.