About the Contributors Kathy A. Brown is a professor of teacher education at the University of Central Oklahoma. She has long been interested in teacher retention and its impact on the educational system. Her current research focuses on teacher self-efficacy and its relationship to teacher effectiveness and teacher retention. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in educational psychology, developmental psychology, and classroom management. She is currently serving on the executive council of Kappa Delta Pi. Anne Perez Hattori is a professor ofPacific history at the University of Guam. She is the author of Colonial Dis-Ease: US Navy Health Policies and the Chamorros ofGuam, 1898-1941. She completed her PhD studies in 1999 at the University of Hawaii at Manoa under the mentorship of David Hanlon. The oldest of nine siblings, she was born and raised in Dededo, Guam, but now resides with her husband, Naushadalli Suleman, in Alupang, Tamuning. Her research interests include: the U.S. naval period in Guam history; indigenous and gender issues in Oceania; and Pacific islands historiography. David W. Kupferman is currently a PhD student in the department of educational foundations at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. He is on leave from his job in the Marshall Islands, where he has lived and worked since 2004. His research interests include re-conceptualizing schooling and the prospects for contextually appropriate educational practices in Micronesia. Kelle L. Murphy is an assistant professor and program coordinator of physical education, Health, and sports studies program at the University of Guam. She received her doctorate from Springfield College. Her research interests include: legal aspects in pedagogy; current topics in pedagogy and teacher education; and dispositions of teacher candidates. Prior to teaching in higher education, she taught middle school physical education courses in California. Mike Nelson is an associate professor in the department of professional teacher education at the University of Central Oklahoma. He received his PhD in instructional psychology and technology from the University of Oklahoma. Prior to pursuing the doctoral degree, he taught secondary science in urban setting in Oklahoma and California. Besides teacher retention, his current research interests include the relationship of socio-cultural contexts on the achievement and social motivation of adolescents. He has published and presented on the role of peers in explaining adolescents' motivation to achieve in school.
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