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Evaluation and Support in Implementing a Student-Centered Learning
Environment
Professional development and support become key aspects to implementing
student-centered instruction successfully. For example, Deehen et al. (2019)
demonstrated that student-centered science courses in an educator preparation
program increased preservice teachers’ science teaching efficacy when they engaged
in authentic practices relevant to their future profession in a cooperative learning
context. For current practitioners, Texas promotes a student-centered approach to Dr. Shannon Manley
education through T-TESS. Developed by the Texas Education Agency, T-TESS is a member of Beta
evaluates educators in planning, instruction, learning environment, and professional Lambda Chapter of Texas
State Organization. She
practices and responsibilities, emphasizing a student-centered style for proficiency. is a clinical instructor
The shift to T-TESS marked a significant change in educators’ perceptions of a in the Department
“distinguished” teacher, moving from a teacher-centered to a student-centered of Curriculum and
approach. The results of a study by Lazarev et al. (2017) indicated a clear distinction Instruction at Texas A&M
between old and new practices, with a notable percentage of teachers rated as University-Commerce.
developing or in need of improvement. She currently works with
teacher candidates at
However, rural schools face more challenges as compared to their non-rural the undergraduate level
counterparts, stemming from limitations in funds, resources, and size. These factors and is the advisor for the
impact the overall success of rural school districts and can influence teachers’ collegiate community
perceptions of teaching styles. The Texas Rural Schools Taskforce Report (TEA, within Beta Lambda.
2017b), specifically the document “Elevating Support for Texas Rural and Small Shannon .Manley@
Schools,” outlines various challenges faced by rural schools, including difficulties tamuc .edu
in teacher recruitment and retention. These schools struggle to attract and retain
teachers due to a lack of competitive salaries, especially when compared to urban
school districts. Additionally, limited resources, such as in the area of technology,
further compound the challenges faced by rural schools.

Methodology
This study was conducted in a rural Texas elementary school, a setting that
represents more than one-third of all Texas school districts. The researcher selected
participants through purposive sampling to align with the purpose of this study:
gaining insight into perceptions and implementation of teaching styles of teachers
from a rural school district. More specifically, participants were chosen based on
their teaching positions at a specific campus; the study focused on teachers from
Grades 3, 4, and 5, including interventionists who assisted with those classrooms
(Table 1).
Data were collected from teachers in a rural Texas elementary school through
online surveys via Qualtrics (www.qualtrics.com; online survey software). Opting
for an online survey offered advantages such as facilitating a more coherent and
comprehensive data analysis (Arya et al., 2016), expediting response times (in
comparison to traditional methods such as mailing paper surveys or organizing
group survey sessions), and reducing costs associated with paper materials and
postage. Surveys in the educational context prove advantageous not only for
their ease in quantitative data collection and analysis but also because surveys
incorporating self-reflection and perceptions of practices yield qualitative data
providing valuable insights into teachers’ beliefs and the impact of their training on
their instructional approaches (Penuel et al., 2006).

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