The 2024 North Carolina Association for Research in Education (NCARE) annual meeting and conference, which was held in Greensboro, North Carolina, on February 15-16, celebrated its 50th anniversary, recognizing two Reich College of Education faculty members as past presidents: Dr. Tempestt Adams, associate professor in the Department of Media, Career Development and Leadership, and Dr. Jennifer McGee, professor in the Department of Leadership and Educational Studies.
For Adams, NCARE played a vital role in her research and conference experiences when she was a doctoral student.
“As such, it was a great honor to be able to serve as President of the organization and continue its legacy,” she noted. “During my presidency, I helped the organization navigate virtual conferences for the first time. I was excited to return for this special occasion, and I look forward to what the future holds for the organization.”
Adams served as president in 2021-2022.
NCARE was the first conference where McGee presented original research as a doctoral student.
“Because of that I always try to encourage our students to attend and/or present,” she noted. “It's a friendly place for networking with other like-minded researchers and practitioners and it's been an important network for me as I’ve moved through my career.”
“Serving as President was such an honor, and I was so humbled to be recognized for that during the conference this year,” McGee added.
McGee served as president in 2019-2020.
Distinguished Paper Award
McGee and Dr. Gwynne Shoaf ’18 ’22, Teacher Cadet State Coordinator, received the 2023 Distinguished Paper Award. Their paper, entitled “Lifting an Even Heavier Load: Influences on Teacher Burnout During the COV/0-19 Pandemic”, will be presented at the 2024 AERA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The work was partially funded by a Harkrader Family Foundation Faculty Research Award.
“As a student, I remember thinking that one day I hoped I would have research that was good enough to win this award and so winning this year, especially with Gwynne as a co-author, was such an honor,” noted McGee. “Gwynne was an amazing co-author and her ability to help me think about this work is something I am so grateful for.”
“The past winners of this award are friends and mentors to me, and I’m humbled to represent North Carolina by presenting this paper at AERA,” McGee added.
Abstract
Burnout is defined as a “syndrome” (Maslach et al., 1996, p. 193), containing three dimensions: exhaustion; cynicism and detachment; and ineffectiveness and lack of personal accomplishment (Maslach & Leiter, 2016). For teachers, burnout can lead to negative impacts on both the teacher and their students (Hughes, 2010; Madigan & Kim, 2021). The purpose of this study was to examine teacher burnout using qualitative methodology, allowing the voices of teachers to speak to the factors that influence their feelings of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. By utilizing qualitative methods, we were able to arrive at a conceptual model of influences on teacher burnout that stems from the language used by teachers to explain and describe their experiences. We reference literature that stresses the organizational and structural factors that influence burnout in our examination of this phenomenon. There are four levels of influence described in the findings of this study that can be used as a conceptual model to further examine teacher burnout empirically.
About the Conference Presentations
Several RCOE faculty, staff, students, and alumni attended the conference and presented their work. View the full program:
Paper Session
BlackCrit Case Study Analysis That Explores the Influence of Societal Perceptions of Black Men on Black Male K- 12 Leaders
Presented by Dr. Dramaine Freeman ’15 ’23, Doctoral Academic Advisor.
Short Paper Session
A Legacy of Success: The High Achievers in STEM Program
Presented by Dr. Jennifer McGee, professor, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies.
“NCARE provided a platform for me to engage with other educators and researchers, focusing on the significance of establishing a supportive environment for males of color, especially Black males, in leadership,” said Freeman. “The platform also provided me the chance to hear from other researchers, which helped me to broaden the scope of my own research.”
For doctoral candidate Tomegia Winston, McGee encouraged her to attend the conference and consider presenting because NCARE was the first conference where she presented her research as a doctoral student.
“During the conference, I gained more knowledge and some leadership strategies to construct equitable opportunities for all,” said Winston. “The conference was also a great networking experience for me, allowing me to meet doctoral students and graduate faculty from other universities. I have plans to attend next year and hope more App State doctoral students decide to attend.”
About the North Carolina Association for Research in Education (NCARE)
Established in 1974, the North Carolina Association for Research in Education (NCARE) works to improve the quality of education in North Carolina through research and evaluation.
NCARE members include teachers, principals, school system administrators, university faculty and staff, graduate students, staff of the Department of Public Instruction, members of local education agencies, and people working in private research organizations. NCARE activities are implemented through its elected officers and board of directors.
Appalachian State University has multiple memberships in NCARE.
Dr. Tempestt Adams and Dr. Jenn McGee recognized as past presidents for NCARE
