Term of Award

Spring 2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)

Document Type and Release Option

Dissertation (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

College of Education

Committee Chair

Daniel Calhoun

Committee Member 1

Pamela Wells

Committee Member 2

Taylor Norman

Abstract

This qualitative multiple-case study examined the perceptions of first- and second-grade teachers who have taught in both the departmentalized and traditional self-contained instructional models. The study explored teachers’ perceived advantages and disadvantages of each model, examined how their experiences within each model influenced instructional strategies and classroom management approaches, and assessed their perceived impacts on student engagement and learning outcomes. Each grade level was a bounded case. This study was conducted at a Title I elementary school in Southeast Georgia, where both models were implemented.

Guided by social constructivism, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven teachers (four first-grade and three second-grade) who had experience in both instructional models. Field notes and master schedules provided contextual data. Data were analyzed through open coding, category development, thematic analysis, and cross-case analysis.

Three themes emerged consistently across both grade-level cases: (a) Instruction and Classroom Management, (b) Professional Duties Beyond Instruction, and (c) Relationships. Teachers perceived the self-contained instructional model as more supportive of strong teacher-student relationships, flexible scheduling, and consistent classroom routines, particularly in meeting students’ developmental and social-emotional needs. The departmentalized instructional model was perceived to offer benefits related to content specialization, instructional focus, and reduced planning demands but also presented challenges related to student transitions, instructional continuity, and relationship-building. Overall, the findings suggest that leadership decisions regarding instructional models in first and second grade should consider students’ developmental needs, instructional flexibility, and the stability of teacher-student relationships to support young learners effectively.

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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