Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
11-2020
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Scott Bailey
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Leah Wickersham-Fish
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Julie McElhany
Abstract
The core problem that drove this study was high attrition rates and low student academic growth in virtual students when compared to their brick and mortar peers. To investigate this issue, the study focused on one issue related to the core problem: student engagement. The purpose of the study was to determine what pedagogical practices and instructional strategies were utilized by teachers in their virtual learning communities (VCLs) in order to engage students in the virtual classroom. This explanatory-sequential, mixed methods, single case study was conducted through the collection of archival data and through a teacher questionnaire and follow up focus group interviews. The sample population included 25 virtual teachers from one virtual charter school in Texas. The findings indicated that teachers with higher engagement scores utilized a combination of communication methods (i.e., calls, texts, and emails) and provided students with supplemental resources outside of the curriculum. The findings for teachers with lower engagement scores indicated that utilizing a single method of communication and focusing on 1:1 tutoring over contacting students was less impactful on overall student engagement scores.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Ashley, Michaine Suzanne, "Engaging Students in the Virtual Classroom: A Mixed-Methods Study of Teacher Leaders Creating Connections Through Virtual Learning Communities" (2020). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 270.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/270
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Online and Distance Education Commons, Secondary Education Commons