Meca Williams-Johnson

Professor Georgia Southern University

  • Statesboro GA

Meca R. Williams-Johnson's mixed methods research emphasis explores student motivation, emotions, teaching and learning.

Contact

Georgia Southern University

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Biography

Dr. Meca Williams-Johnson holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Educational Psychology and teaches research methods in the College of Education at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia. Her professional experiences coupled with academic training have forged a particular mixed methods research emphasis exploring emotions and its impact on teaching and learning. Additionally, Dr. Williams-Johnson investigates, student motivation and parents’ efficacy beliefs in homeschooling. Through planning, conducting, and publishing several research studies, Dr. Williams-Johnson has contributed to the larger body of knowledge by reporting recommendations to achieve better educational experiences for all students.

Areas of Expertise

Black Feminist Theory
African-American Education
Qualitative Research Design
Teacher Efficacy
Parental Involvement
Student Motivation
Emotions in Teaching and Learning
Mixed-Methods In Social Research

Accomplishments

Georgia Southern University Award for Excellence in Contributions to Instruction

2016
Georgia Southern University Award for Excellence in Contributions to Instruction

Eagle Leadership Academy – Provost Selected Member

2016
Eagle Leadership Academy – Provost Selected Member, Georgia Southern University

American Educational Research Association Reviewer of the Year

2005
American Educational Research Association Reviewer of the Year, American Educational Research Association, Service, Professional

Education

University of Georgia

Ph.D.

Educational Psychology

2006

Florida State University

M.S.

Secondary Education

1998

Southern University and A & M College

B.S.

Secondary Education in Social Sciences

1997

Affiliations

  • American Psychological Association
  • American Association of University Women
  • American Educational Research Association
  • National Alliance of Black School Education
  • National Black Home Educators
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Articles

Women and Anger in Higher Education

Women in Higher Education

2016

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Boundary dilemmas in teacher–student relationships: Struggling with “the line”

Teaching and Teacher Education

The teacher–student relationship is viewed as integral to successful teaching and learning but, outside of a few exceptions, ethical boundary issues in this relationship have not been explored. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perspectives of their relationships with their students as well as how they described and negotiated relationship boundaries. Findings were organised into a typology of 11 categories of boundaries. The balance between demonstrating care while maintaining a healthy, productive level of control in the classroom was a recurring theme when discussing the boundaries.

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It's Not Better or Worse, It's Just Different: Examining Jamaican Teachers' Pedagogical and Emotional Experiences

Teacher Development

2011

The problem of teacher shortage is of grave concern internationally, impacting countries such as the US, England and Australia. One popular approach to addressing issues of teacher attrition has been to hire international teachers (a.k.a. overseas-trained teachers) to fill the gap. In this paper the authors document the challenges and barriers that five Jamaican teachers faced in their first year of teaching in the US school system and the strategies they employed to overcome these difficulties. The study applies qualitative methods, specifically using thematic analysis to thread together the common descriptions the teachers provided of their experiences during that first year. Despite the overwhelming and emotionally charged situations, the teachers were able to draw on their past experiences and a range of cognitive and affective strategies to overcome the challenges. Given the success of these teachers within the US system, the authors believe that an examination of their experiences provides knowledge about ways we can improve the effectiveness of the teacher induction process.

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